The Lost Son of the Swineherd

The image portrays a pastoral scene depicting the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, where a young man stands amidst a group of pigs, symbolizing his fall from grace after squandering his inheritance, set against a backdrop of rolling hills, rustic buildings, and a quaint village in the distance, conveying themes of repentance and redemption through visual storytelling, as lush greenery and architectural elements reflect an idyllic yet somber rural landscape, embodying the consequences of the son's actions within this moral and historical context.

The image portrays a pastoral scene depicting the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, where a young man stands amidst a group of pigs, symbolizing his fall from grace after squandering his inheritance, set against a backdrop of rolling hills, rustic buildings, and a quaint village in the distance, conveying themes of repentance and redemption through visual storytelling, as lush greenery and architectural elements reflect an idyllic yet somber rural landscape, embodying the consequences of the son's actions within this moral and historical context.

Name/Title

The Lost Son of the Swineherd

Entry/Object ID

1998.11.1.4

Description

n a countryside setting, the son sits in tattered clothes among the pigs and feed trough. A well dressed man walks away to the left denying the outstretched, begging hand of the son.

Type of Print

Engraving

Artwork Details

Medium

hand-colored copper engraving

Category

Vault, Biblical, Biblical People, New Testament, Landscape, Animals, Historical
People

Made/Created

Artist

Remondini Family

Date made

circa 1790 - circa 1800

Dimensions

Dimension Description

image size

Height

12-1/2 in

Width

16-7/8 in

Dimension Description

frame size

Height

21-3/4 in

Width

25-7/8 in

Exhibitions

Prodigal Son: Center Art Gallery: September 4 - October 20, 2012
Loan - Prodigal @ Acton Institute, Grand Rapids, MI: May 20 – August 22, 2013
Prodigal Son: Center Art Gallery: November 1 - December 17, 2013
Loan - Prodigal @ First Presbyterian Church - Bonita Springs, Florida: March 10 - April 17, 2014
Loan - Prodigal @ First Congregational Church - Rockford, MI: October 9 - November 16, 2015
Loan - Prodigal @ First Presbyterian Church - Tulsa OK: February 1 - April 18, 2016
Loan - Prodigal Son @ 1st Presbyterian Church - Colorado Springs, CO: February 20 - April 21, 2017
Loan - Prodigal @ Monroe Community Church - Grand Rapids, MI: October 4- December 2, 2023

General Notes

Note

Page 4 in a 6-page series on the prodigal son. The prodigal son as swineherd. This print is the reverse of the original by Probst, likely used in a Vue d’Optique. Latin: “filius deperditus subulcus” English translation: lost son of the swineherd Spanish: “el hijo prodigo porquero” English translation: the prodigal son swineherd Dutch: “de verloren zoon varkenshoeder” English translation: the prodigal son swineherd