The Return of the Prodigal Son

Date: 1636
Medium: Etching on medium-weight white, laid paper
Dimensions: 157 x 137 mm. 6 1/4 x 5 3/8 in.
Reference: Bartsch 91, only state; Hind 147, only state; Hollstein 91, only state; New Hollstein 159, first state of three
Watermark: None visible
Provenance: A. Zaleski (19th century; Austrian?), Lugt 2671; Private collection, U.S.A.
Impression: Brilliant, early, rich impression, before the worn areas that appear to the right of the Prodigal’s nose, below his left shin, and to the right of the father’s sleeve in the dark cross hatching
Condition: Excellent, small margins, some minor disturbances along the edges, a spot or two of foxing, touched with gray wash below the top two steps on the right