Rembrandt – The Return of the Prodigal Son

The Return of the Prodigal Son is one of Rembrandt’s last large paintings, made around 1668: the ragged son, his head shaved, kneels before his old father, who lays his hands on his back, while other members of the household look on in silence. The original, oil on canvas, is 262 cm high and 205 cm wide according to the museum and hangs in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 7 sizes, from 97 x 122 to 205 x 249 cm, or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished painting for approval before dispatch.

The Return of the Prodigal Son – Rembrandt

What does The Return of the Prodigal Son show?

On the left of the canvas the son kneels with his back to us. His head is shaved, his clothes torn and faded, and one shoe has fallen off, so we see a bare, dusty sole. He presses his face against his father. The father, an old man with a white beard in a red cloak, bends over him and lays both hands on his shoulders.

On the right a tall man in a red cloak, with a staff and his hands clasped, stands looking down at the scene. Between them sits a man in a dark hat, and in the background two more figures can barely be made out in the shadows. The light falls on the father’s face and hands and on the son’s back; everything else sinks into a warm brown dusk.

Why is this painting so famous?

Because it is one of the last large paintings Rembrandt made, and many people see in it a summing-up of his life. The Hermitage writes that he painted it only months before his death and without any commission, which was remarkable in Holland, where Protestant churches had no altarpieces. The British art historian Kenneth Clark wrote that those who have seen the original may be forgiven for calling it the greatest picture ever painted.

For many it matters because of a book as well. The Dutch priest Henri Nouwen spent hours in front of it at the Hermitage and in 1992 wrote a book about coming home. That is why this canvas painting means more to many people than a biblical scene.

What does the painting mean?

The story is a parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The younger son takes his share of the inheritance, wastes it and comes home poor, hoping his father will at least take him on as a servant. Instead the father welcomes him as a son and orders a feast, while the elder brother, who has stayed at home all along, is angry.

Rembrandt shows the moment of forgiveness. It is often pointed out that the father’s hands are different: the left larger and stronger, the right gentler, as if they were at once a father’s hand and a mother’s. The tall man on the right is, in most readings, the elder brother, who judges instead of rejoicing. So the painting says not only that coming home is possible but also how hard it is to forgive. The Wikipedia article on the painting collects more readings.

Where is the original today?

In the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, which lists it under inventory number ГЭ-742 and shows it in the New Hermitage, room 254. The museum dates it to about 1668 and gives its size as 262 x 205 cm.

It entered the Hermitage in 1766, in the collection of the Russian empress Catherine the Great. It has been in St Petersburg ever since.

The Prodigal Son or another Rembrandt – which should you choose?

This is a large, quiet painting for a room where people stop: a living room, a dining room, an office or a place of prayer. Another Gospel scene, but full of movement, is The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. From the same last years comes The Jewish Bride, a tender couple in red and gold. If you are looking for a man lost in thought there is Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, and for a large wall The Night Watch.

All the famous Rembrandt paintings we offer are on the Rembrandt page.

How is our hand-painted Prodigal Son made?

Our painter paints it by hand, with brushes and oil colours on canvas. Because the painting is large and dark, the group of father and son and the two standing figures are placed precisely first, and then the brown background is built up in several thin layers. The red cloaks and the son’s faded clothes come later, in warm, dense strokes.

Last come the faces and hands, which carry the whole story: the father’s bowed face, his hands on the son’s back and the bare sole of the foot. The result is an oil painting reproduction on which you see the layers of paint, where a print would have only a smooth, flat surface.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 97 x 122 or 110 x 135 cm for a wall above a chest of drawers, in a hallway or in a smaller room, 120 x 155 or 137 x 170 cm for a living or dining room, and 150 x 195, 180 x 220 and 205 x 249 cm for tall walls, staircases, chapels and offices.

There are 7 upright sizes (width x height): 97 x 122, 110 x 135, 120 x 155, 137 x 170, 150 x 195, 180 x 220 and 205 x 249 cm. The original is 205 cm wide and 262 cm high; our largest size is the same width as the original and 13 cm lower. As a painting for the living room it should be at least 120 x 155 cm, because only at this size do the figures approach half life-size and stay clear from a distance.

Put the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor. Because the painting is tall, check the height of the wall for the largest sizes: 205 x 249 cm needs a ceiling higher than three metres.

What if I need a custom size or a frame?

We can also paint it in another width and height; to keep the composition, we recommend the proportions of the original, about 4 : 5. Send us your dimensions and you will receive a price and a lead time.

You choose whether you want it rolled, stretched on a wooden stretcher bar or framed; we stretch and frame it in our workshop in Slovenia, as we do every painting we send out. In the 3D application, which is only for choosing the frame, you can see every one of our profiles on this subject; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service. A warm gold moulding matches the red cloaks, while a dark wooden one adds depth to the background.

How does delivery work, and what is the guarantee?

Each one is painted specially for you, so making and delivery take 15 to 45 working days. We deliver across the EU with no customs, safely packed. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting and approve it; if anything is not right we correct it, and our returns policy applies to every order.

If you are giving it as a present and do not know the size, a wall art voucher will help.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Return of the Prodigal Son?

In the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, inventory number ГЭ-742, in the New Hermitage. It came to the museum in 1766 with the collection of Catherine the Great.

When did Rembrandt paint it?

The Hermitage dates it to about 1668 and writes that he painted it only months before his death in 1669. It is among his last works.

Who are the people in the painting?

The son who has come home and the father embracing him. The tall man on the right is read by most as the elder brother; the seated man and the woman in the background are not part of the biblical story, and opinions on them differ.

Is your painting a print?

No. Each one is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas that a painter makes for you, with real brushstrokes and layers of paint.

How big is the original?

The museum gives 262 cm in height and 205 cm in width. Our sizes run from 97 x 122 to 205 x 249 cm; the largest is the same width as the original.

Which size suits a living room?

For an ordinary living room with a ceiling of about 2.5 m, 120 x 155 and 137 x 170 cm are the best fit. Above a sofa, leave at least 20 cm to the bottom edge of the painting.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes, especially for a homecoming, a reconciliation or a wedding, or for a priest or a person of faith, because it is about forgiveness. If you do not know the right size, choose the wall art voucher.

Is the original for sale?

No. The painting is in the Hermitage’s permanent collection and is not for sale.

• Subject: the prodigal son kneels before his father, who lays his hands on his back, while the elder brother stands on the right.
• Original: c. 1668, oil on canvas, 262 x 205 cm, State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
• Ours: a Rembrandt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 7 upright sizes; the largest, 205 x 249 cm, is as wide as the original, and we paint other sizes to measure.
• Worth knowing: Rembrandt painted it without a commission, in the last years of his life.