The Prodigal Son
probably c. 1879
Medium
oil on linen
Dimensions
overall: 106.5 x 146.7 cm (41 15/16 x 57 3/4 in.) framed: 130.8 x 171.1 x 7 cm (51 1/2 x 67 3/8 x 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Collection
Accession Number
1963.10.200
Art Historical Context
Pierre Puvis de Chav's *The Prodigal*, likely painted around 1879, captures the timeless biblical parable from Luke 15, where a wayward son returns home to forgiving father's embrace. This oil on linen work, measuring 106.5 x 146.7 cm, exemplifies Puvis's mastery of narrative scenes drawn from scripture and classical mythology, themes that resonated in late 19th-century France amid a revival of moral and spiritual art. A pivotal figure in French Symbolism, Puvis (1824–1898) blended academic precision with dreamlike idealism, often employing simplified forms, muted palettes, and ethereal figur...
About the Artist
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes · 1824–1898
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898) was a French painter who became the foremost muralist of nineteenth-century France and a crucial bridge between academic tradition and modernism. Born in Lyon to a prosperous family, he studied briefly with Henri Scheffer and Thomas Couture in Paris and traveled to Italy, where the frescoes of the Italian Renaissance made a lasting impression on his artistic v...