Albrecht Dürer engraving The Prodigal Son Amid the Swine, c. 1496; The New Testament story of the prodigal son details the relationship of a father and his son. The youngest son asks his father for his share of his inheritance and travels off. Within short order, he squanders his money and finds himself living in a pig pen, where the animals eat better than he. When he returns home to ask his father's forgiveness, his father welcomes him and celebrates his return. Dürer chose to depict this tale of redemption at its climax, when the son is living amidst the swine and has reached his ultimate low point. The prodigal son kneels in prayer as slovenly pigs devour food before him. Dürer's remarkable attention to detail shines through, as precise, parallel lines define the buildings in the background as well as the figures in the foreground. We gather a sense of the prodigal son's desperation and loneliness, as he decides to make a change in his life and return home, shamed by his foolish mistakes.

A lifetime impression, this work is a Medera (of h) impression printed on a fine paper with the Medium Imperial Orb watermark (M. 56) dating this piece to c. 1495-1515. This piece features the signature monogram of Albrecht Dürer (Nuremburg, 1471 - Nuremburg, 1528) in the lower center of the image.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Albrecht Dürer engraving The Prodigal Son Amid the Swine, c. 1496 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. Bartsch. (1981). The Illustrated Bartsch Vol. 10. Edited by Walter L. Strauss. Abaris Books: New York. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonnè no. 28.
2. Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog, 1932. Listed as cat. no. 28. Watermark illustrated as M. 56.
3. Pawlak, Manfred. Albrecht Dürer: 1471 bis 1528, Das gesamte Graphische Werk, Druckgraphik, Band II. Listed and illustrated as plate no. 1899.
4. Scheller, Robert W. and Boon, Karel G. The Graphic Art of Albrecht Dürer, Hans Dürer and the Dürer School, 1971. Listed as plate 28 on pg. 24.
5. Schoch, Rainer et al. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk, Band I Holzschnitte und Holzschnittfolgen, Munich 2002. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 9 on pg. 45-48.
6. Strauss, Walter L. Albrecht Dürer, The Intaglio Prints of Albrecht Dürer, 1980. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 11 on pg. 44 - 46.
7. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Albrecht Dürer engraving The Prodigal Son Amid the Swine, c. 1496 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and optical grade Plexiglas.