Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Return of the Prodigal Son
A kneeling youth presses close to an older standing man whose arms extend around him, while a company of travellers and attendants approaches behind. Doré places the reunion beside a house and open road, letting the arriving group remain visible without displacing the embrace. The lowered son and upright father form a strong central contrast of height. The printed caption identifies the prodigal son. The illustration selects the return rather than the departure or the period of want, giving the parable’s recognition a bodily form at the boundary between household and journey.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "The Return of the Prodigal Son" [editorial title]. In The Bible Gallery, Gustave Dore; Talbot W. Chambers. Undated Cassell & Company edition; one hundred illustrations with supplied descriptive letterpress, undated edition, Cassell & Company, Limited. Source scan leaf 313. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-312
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Complete plate reviewed against the scan; printed caption supplies subject. Crop excludes surrounding paper and separate caption without changing scan tone. Letterpress theology is not adopted as historical proof.
Sources
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The Bible GalleryGustave Dore; Talbot W. ChambersUndated editionMore from this book
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). The Return of the Prodigal Son. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 313. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-312