c. 1496
The Prodigal Son
Albrecht DürerGerman, 1471 - 1528
In the well-known parable of the prodigal son, as told by Christ, one of two brothers left home with his inheritance and squandered it in riotous living. Eventually reduced to tending swine, the son repented and decided to return home, where he was welcomed by his father with open arms. Dürer depicts the moment of decision in a decrepit courtyard where the remorseful son kneels to pray amid the bristled hogs and their half-eaten turnips. Italian artists and artisans were enchanted by the unfamiliar German style of the farmhouses: this print was copied many times in Italy in following decades.
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