ID: 700008187 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700008187	Record Type: Movable Work

The Departure of the Prodigal Son (drawing (visual work); George Friedrich Kayser (German draftsman, 1819 - after 1841...; 1841; J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles, Los A...; 2009.64)

Note: The drawing represents the departure of the prodigal son as recounted by Luke (15:13). A man divided his estate between his two sons. The younger went off and squandered his portion through scandalous living and was finally, in poverty, reduced to tending a farmer's pigs. Finally, he returned home penitently and was warmly received by his father. Kayser chose to represent the very moment when father and son are parting. The composition is carefully thought-out. The costumes indicate that the scene is set in the medieval period. The figures are surrounded by a wealth of organic details, which give the image a highly decorative character that evokes Gothic art.Of all the biblical parables, this is one of the most represented in art, for it teaches the virtues of repentance and forgiveness. Since artists have often rendered the theme of the prodigal son as a narrative cycle, it is reasonable to assume that the present sheet belonged to a series; no related sheet by Kayser is known, however. According to an inscription on the verso, the drawing was executed in Dresden in 1841.Very little is known about Kayser apart from the fact that he was a pupil of Ludwig Richter and was therefore active in Dresden for some or the whole of his career. Richter's style strongly influenced him in this instance. He was also a friend of the painter Heinrich Dreber (1822-1875), who was also a student of Richter (see R. Schöne, Heinrich Dreber, Berlin, 1940, p. 19).

Titles:

The Departure of the Prodigal Son (preferred,C,U,RP,English-P,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

drawing (visual work) [300033973] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Visual Works (hierarchy name), visual works (works), <visual works by material or technique>)

Classifications:

drawings (preferred)

Creation Date: 1841

Creator Display:

George Friedrich Kayser (German draftsman, 1819 - after 1841) [preferred,JPGM]

draftsman Kayser, George Friedrich (German draftsman, 1819-after 1841) [500355301]

Locations:

Current: J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles, Los Angeles county, California, United States) [500329598] J. Paul Getty Museum, J. Paul Getty Trust, Corporate Bodies (Corp. Body)

Repository Numbers: 2009.64

Other: Creation: Deutschland [7000084] Europe (continent), World (facet) (Geographic)

Display Materials: Black chalk, brown and black ink

	chalk [300011727]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, inorganic material)

	ink [300015012]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by function>, coating (material), <coating by form>)

Dimensions: 23 x 17.9 cm (9 1/16 x 7 1/16 in.)

Cultures:

German (preferred)

General Subject:

religion and mythology (preferred)

Specific Subjects:

	Return of the Prodigal Son [901000358]
	.....((Story of the Prodigal Son, Other Christian narratives, Christian iconography, Legend, Religion, Mythology)) (ICON)

Inscriptions: Inscribed by the artist E v Luc. at upper left and cap 15. v 13 at upper right; monogrammed FK at lower right; verso inscribed F. Keyser, Dresden, gez / 1841

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: drawings, paintings, prints, other two-dimensional media

Sources and Contributors:
The Departure of the Prodigal Son	........ [JPGM,VP]
	........ J. Paul Getty Museum database for collections (2000-)

Subject: ....... [JPGM,VP]

Note:
English	..... [JPGM]
	..... J. Paul Getty Museum database for collections (2000-)