The Return of the Prodigal Son
1667/1670
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 236.3 x 261 cm (93 1/16 x 102 3/4 in.) framed: 262.9 x 286.4 x 8.6 cm (103 1/2 x 112 3/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-B
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Avalon Foundation
Accession Number
1948.12.1
Art Historical Context
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo *The Return of the Proal Son* (c. 1667–1670) captures a pivotal moment from the biblical parable in Luke , where a repentant son kneels before his forgiving father. This monumental oil on canvas, measuring nearly 8 by 9 feet, exemplifies Murillo's mastery during Spain's Golden Age of Baroque art. As a leading painter from Seville, Murillo infused religious scenes with profound emotion and humanity, blending dramatic tenebrism—deep shadows contrasting glowing highlights—with his signature soft, luminous "vaporous" style. Created amid the Counter-Reformation, the paint...
About the Artist
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo · 1618–1682
Son of Gaspar Esteban, a barber-surgeon, and María Pérez. He was orphaned at the age of ten and brought up by his maternal uncle, who placed him as an apprentice with his relative Juan del Castillo, a painter in the Italian manner. He adopted the surname of his maternal grandmother, Elvira Murillo, and rarely signed or used that of his father. Comment on works: History; Portraits; Religious