De verloren zoon aan een feestmaal 1866

Johannes Arnoldus Boland created this etching of the Prodigal Son at a Feast, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century in the Netherlands. The print depicts a biblical scene through the lens of Dutch Golden Age genre painting, echoing artists like Jan Steen. We see a lavish interior filled with revelers, a commentary on excess and moral decay. The image employs visual codes of wealth and hedonism to critique social structures, perhaps reflecting anxieties about economic disparities during the rise of industrial capitalism in the Netherlands. Boland's choice of subject—a cautionary tale about the dangers of squandering one's inheritance—speaks to the social concerns of his time. A closer study of 19th-century Dutch social history, economic records, and religious tracts would provide invaluable context. Art gains greater meaning through its entanglement with broader institutional and cultural forces.