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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1959.37
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Prodigal Son Chased Away by Women
Other Titles
Former Title: Court Figures in a Pastoral Scene
Classification
Textile Arts
Work Type
tapestry
Date
1515-1520
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Belgium, Tournai
Culture
Franco-Flemish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/214754

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Fiber
Dimensions
283.5 x 236.2 cm (111 5/8 x 93 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of The Felix M. and Frieda Schiff Warburg Foundation
Accession Year
1959
Object Number
1959.37
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This tapestry depicts an episode from the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), and belongs to a series of this subject. After receiving his inheritance, the son left his family behind and squandered his wealth. Here, he is being chased away by damsels because his money has run out. Another tapestry may have shown the preceding episode of the prodigal son feasting with the women at an inn. Five young women turn aggressively toward the prodigal son at right; one of them wields a broom in his direction. All of the figures wear contemporary Flemish court attire. The costume and figure style are characteristic of Tournai weavings in the early 16th century.

Publication History

  • Jean-Paul Asselberghs, Les tapisseries flamandes aux états-unis d'amérique, Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Brussels, 1974), pp. 16, 30

Exhibition History

  • The World of the Middle Ages in the Thiebold Schilling Chronicle, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, 10/07/1974 - 11/08/1974

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu