logo
Log in
EN
IT
FR
DE
ES
logo
EN
IT
FR
DE
ES
artsupp banner
Log in
Red Cloud
Portrait of Charles II of Savoy known as the Good
Lamentation over the dead Christ
Madonna and Child
The children of Charles I of England
Madonna and Child with Six Saints
The archangel Gabriel and Tobias
Bas-relief with a garland of flowers and fruit
Madonna and Child
The three archangels and Tobias
the return of the prodigal son
Portrait of a Gentlewoman
Madonna and Child
Trinity
Stigmata of St. Francis
The vanity of human life
Portrait of an Old Man
Annunciation
Venus
Bust of Minerva
Bust - manly portrait
Psykter di Euthymides
Plate decorated with ribbons and nets
Canteen bowl
Ingot Blade Kit
Landscape relief known as of Polyphemus and Galatea
Colombine ointment
Signpost
Fibulae with disc bracket
Portrait of Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy
Madona with Child
Story of Aeneas and Dido
The family of Vittorio Amedeo di Savoia
Holy family with San Giovannino
The Sacra di San Michele
The thirst suffered by the first crusaders under Jerusalem
Table tureen
Rotisserie
Coffee cup
Kanjar (pug)
Japanese armor of the Do-Maru type
Parade plaque of Henry II of France
Corsaletto
Horse headboard
Portrait of a young girl
Self portrait
Male head
Naked young man next to an old oriental dress
Young man study
Pisces album
Fish album
Fish album
Bird album
Flower album
Red Cloud
Portrait of Charles II of Savoy known as the Good
Lamentation over the dead Christ
Madonna and Child
The children of Charles I of England
Madonna and Child with Six Saints
The archangel Gabriel and Tobias
Bas-relief with a garland of flowers and fruit
Madonna and Child
The three archangels and Tobias
the return of the prodigal son
Portrait of a Gentlewoman
Madonna and Child
Trinity
Stigmata of St. Francis
The vanity of human life
Portrait of an Old Man
Annunciation
Venus
Bust of Minerva
Bust - manly portrait
Psykter di Euthymides
Plate decorated with ribbons and nets
Canteen bowl
Ingot Blade Kit
Landscape relief known as of Polyphemus and Galatea
Colombine ointment
Signpost
Fibulae with disc bracket
Portrait of Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy
Madona with Child
Story of Aeneas and Dido
The family of Vittorio Amedeo di Savoia
Holy family with San Giovannino
The Sacra di San Michele
The thirst suffered by the first crusaders under Jerusalem
Table tureen
Rotisserie
Coffee cup
Kanjar (pug)
Japanese armor of the Do-Maru type
Parade plaque of Henry II of France
Corsaletto
Horse headboard
Portrait of a young girl
Self portrait
Male head
Naked young man next to an old oriental dress
Young man study
Pisces album
Fish album
Fish album
Bird album
Flower album

the return of the prodigal son

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, detto Guercino

Displayed in:

Royal Museums Turin

Royal Museums Turin

Piazzetta Reale, 1, Turin

Open now from 09:00 to 19:00

Verified profile

The work depicts the prodigal son kneeling on the stairs of his father's house asking forgiveness for the dissipation of the money he received as a gift. The canvas best represents the painter's early maturity. Guercino implements a synthesis between the compositional realism of Ludovico Carracci, the colorism of Ippolito Scarsella and the architectural inventions of Venetian ancestry. A certain knowledge of Caravaggio's painting can be seen both in the representation of the figure of the prodigal son and in the depiction of the servant behind the elderly father. In the first case, the reference seems to be the characters in the Madonna dei Pellegrini, a work by Merisi from 1604-1606 in S. Agostino in Rome. In the second case, however, the servant's dress refers to many characters painted by the master: for example, the boy in the Good Fortune of 1596-97, preserved in the Louvre. Guercino made The Prodigal Son in 1617 in Bologna for Archbishop Ludovisi. The good relations between Cardinal Maurizio and Ludovisi, even before he became pope in 1621, but since he was extraordinary nuncio to Savoy in 1616 to resolve the disputes between Carlo Emanuele I and Philip of Spain, regarding the dispute over the lands of Monferrato , may have been the link for the arrival of the canvas in Turin. This appears in fact in the inventory of the Savoyard collections since 1631.
Read more

Details

Title: the return of the prodigal son

Author: Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, detto Guercino

Date: 1617

Technique: Oil painting on canvas

Displayed in: Royal Museums Turin

Exhibitions

about the artist

All ongoing and upcoming exhibitions where there are works by

Other works

at Turin

Related Searches

See more