The Prodigal Son amid the Swine

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Artist Albrecht Dürer (German, May 21, 1471–April 6, 1528)

Title The Prodigal Son amid the Swine (Der verlorene Sohn)

Date Ca. 1496

Medium Engraving on paper

Dimensions Image: 9 3/4 × 7 1/2 in. (24.8 × 19.1 cm)
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 7 1/2 in. (24.8 × 19.1 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 75.60.5

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About this Work

Having squandered his inheritance on wine and women, the Prodigal Son kneels amid the swine in a ramshackle barnyard, casting a rueful gaze toward the church steeple just beyond. By depicting this popular biblical parable in a familiar German setting, Dürer ensured its message of divine forgiveness would also resonate more powerfully with contemporary audiences close to home. Pronounced attention to textures like the bristly hairs of the swine imbue this early engraving with a new and heightened sense of realism. An ox standing halfway outside the image even lends the work the uncanny semblance of a modern photographic snapshot.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Publisher Albrecht Dürer (German, May 21, 1471–April 6, 1528)

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"The Prodigal Son amid the Swine | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.60.5