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| Artist | Attributed to Bassano, Leandro (Italian painter, 1557-1622) After Bassano family (Italian painters, active 16th-17th centuries) |
| Previous attributions | Previously attributed to Bassano, Francesco, II (Italian painter, 1549-1592) |
| Title | The Return of the Prodigal Son |
| Date earliest | about 1577 |
| Date latest | probably about 1588 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 99.1 x 135.9 cm |
| Description | The New Testament parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the theme of Christian forgiveness by telling how a son, having squandered his wealth, returned shamefully to his home where his father forgave and welcomed him. The painting is based on a composition signed by Jacopo Bassano and his son Francesco (1576-77, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome), though with slight variations, for instance in the foodstuffs on the table to the left. It has been attributed to Jacopo's younger son, Leandro Bassano, who was his father's principal assistant from 1578 until he moved to Venice in 1588. |
| Subject | religion (Prodigal Son); animal (dog, horse, cat); figure |
| Collection | Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery |
| Current accession number | K2738 |
| Acquisition details | Purchased from W. Katz 1958. |
| Principal publications | Catalogue of Oil Paintings, City Art Gallery, Bristol, Bristol, 1970, p. 133, no. K2738, as by Francesco Bassano II. |
| Notes | Attributed by Alessandro Ballarin, University of Padua, to Leandro Bassano, as an early work, 1984. For the Doria Pamphilj version signed by Jacopo and Francesco Bassano, see B. Aikema et al. Renaissance Venice and the North: Crosscurrents in the Time of Bellini, Dürer and Titian, Rizzoli, 2000, cat. no. 175. In addition to the Doria Pamphilj prime version, other versions by members of the Bassano family are noted. |
| Rights status | Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives |
| Author | Dr Susan Steer |
