Il Guercino 1591 – 1666

The Return of the Prodigal Son (1655)

oil on canvas (155 × 146 cm) — 1654-1655 Museum Timken Museum, San Diego

Il Guercino biography

This work is linked to Luke 15:21

Penniless the prodigal son returns to his father, who welcomes him with compassion. He could have been angry, as the son had waisted his inheritance.

Guercino has depicted the subject at least seven times. This is one of his later works. This site also features a version from 1619 in Vienna.

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