The Return of the Prodigal Son

Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659 – Venice 1734). Oil painting on canvas, The Return of the Prodigal Son by Sebastiano Ricci (Belluno 1659 - Venice 1734). The picture depicts the parable which is recounted in the New Testament, Luke 15: 11-32. It shows the moment when the younger son, repentant, is received at the door of his father's house. He kneels on the lower step and his father gesticulates with his right hand, while other figures hover in the doorway on the left. In the foreground, a woman standing, dressed in red and holding a baby, seen from behind, is looking on along with a child, wearing pale blue, kneeling on a stone wall on her left. On the right, a beggar is seated on the ground watching. The scene is set against a background of classical buildings and an archway under which more figures and a donkey are visible. Stourhead, Wiltshire (Accredited Museum)