The Prodigal Son as a Swineherd, plate 3 from The Story of the Prodigal Son
After David Vinckboons Netherlandish
Claes Jansz. Visscher Dutch
Not on view
David Vinckboons was born in Mechelen, in the Southern Netherlands, but like many other Protestants he moved to the North to seek religious freedom. He made only three prints himself but his designs were the basis for more prints than any other Netherlandish artist in the early seventeen century. Close to two dozen of these were etched by the influential draftsman, printmaker and publisher Claes Jansz. Visscher. The story of the Prodigal Son is recounted in Luke 15:11-32. It is about forgiveness and redemption and is one of Christ’s most famous parables. The younger son of a wealthy man asks his father for his inheritance and proceeds to quickly spend all his money on dissipated until he is hungry and penniless and returns to beg his father’s forgiveness.
Drawings in reverse of the four subjects are in the British Museum (inv. no. 1848,1125.4-1848,1125.7).
In the third scene the young man has hit bottom. He is shown in the middle distance at the left, begging a farmer for work. In the foreground at the left he is kneeling down, feeding the pigs, and, according to the inscription below, eating some of their food.
