Two Episodes from the Parable of the Prodigal Son: The Prodigal among the Harlots
Unknown Artist
ca. 1510–25
Medium
Wool warp; wool and silk wefts
Dimensions
Overall: 103 x 74 1/2in. (261.6 x 189.2cm)
Classification
Textiles-Tapestries
Culture
South Netherlandish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Lillian Stokes Gillespie Collection, Bequest of Lillian Stokes Gillespie, 1915
Accession Number
15.121.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This magnificent South Netherlandish tapestry titled *Two Episodes from the Par of the Prodigal: The Prodigal the Harlots*, dates around 1510–25 and was woven by an unknown artist using a wool warp with wool and silkfts. Measuring an impressive 103 by 74½ inches, it captures key moments from the biblical parable in Luke 15, where the wayward son squanders his inheritance in riotous living among harlots, highlighting themes of folly, excess, and eventual redemption. The detailed scenes feature men and women in vibrant, luxurious attire, evoking the moral lessons popular in late medieval and ear...