Parable of the Talents
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1896-31-22
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Created around 1650 by the French printmaker Michel Lasne, *Parable of the Talents* brings to life one of the most enduring stories from the New Testament. Lasne, active during a period when printmaking flourished across Europe, specialized in works that made religious and moral lessons accessible beyond church walls. His engravings and etchings often reached everyday viewers through books, broadsheets, and private collections, turning biblical narratives into visual teaching tools. The subject draws from Matthew 25, where servants are entrusted with “talents”—coins representing God-given gif...