Terugkeer van de verloren zoon 1642

"Terugkeer van de verloren zoon" (Return of the Prodigal Son) is an etching by Abraham Dircksz. Santvoort, a Dutch Golden Age artist, created in 1642. The image depicts a scene from the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, where the father embraces his repentant son. Santvoort's etching, currently held by the Rijksmuseum, exemplifies the popularity of biblical narratives in Dutch art. The etching is part of a book by the Dutch theologian Emanuel Sonthom, which was published in Amsterdam that year. The work is small in size, measuring only 55 by 80 mm and 135 by 87 mm, which speaks to the use of etching as a method for book illustration.