Return of the Prodigal Son

Lucas van Leyden · c. 1510
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Lucas van Leyden engraved this plate around 1510. Behind the figures opens a wide landscape with a river, a village and steep mountains — one of the finest of his early views.

The father, an old man in a long robe, bends over his kneeling son and reaches out to him. The son, in rags, with a staff, looks up. Friends stand round, and servants come from the house. A dog sniffs the ground.

From the text

While the son was still in the distance, his father saw him and ran to him (Luke 15:20)

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (Luke 15:21)

“Bring the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22)

The artist’s own

A Netherlandish town house and a wide river valley

The son as a beggar with a staff and torn clothes

A dog and an old tree stump

Details

The father

He bends over his son and reaches out to him.

The son

In rags, with a staff, he kneels and looks up.

From the house

Men in fine clothes come out of the house.

The dog

A dog sniffs the ground.

Lucas van Leyden, Netherlandish, 1494–about 1533. The Cleveland Museum of Art (Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland, 1927.361) · Engraving · Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access: Collection API record "share_license_status": "CC0" (Creative Commons Zero, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

The verses

Luke 15:20–24So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. The son declared, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.