II. Iconography

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rubensbulletin
KONINKLIJK MUSEUM VOOR SCHONE KUNSTEN ANTWERPEN
Jrg. 1, 2007
de verloren zoon
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THE PRODIGAL SON
II. ICONOGRAPHY
Maartje Beekman
Peter Paul Rubens, The Prodigal Son, Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten,
inv. no. 781. Oil on panel (composed of five horizontal planks), 111 x 159 cm (day: 107 x 155 cm).
Most of Peter Paul Rubens’s painting The Prodigal Son from 1618 is taken
up by the interior of a barn (ill. 1). Still, the question arises whether the
artist ever intended merely to represent a farm scene. The painting was,
after all, described in his estate as “A piece on panel very curiously named
the Barn or the Prodigal Son”.1 Hence, we know that the painting is not just
1) Dogaer, G., “De inventaris der schilderijen van Diego Duarte”, in: Jaarboek van het KMSKA, 1971, p.
208.
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about the barn, but that it also refers to an episode from the biblical parable
of the prodigal son, as it appears in the Gospel of Luke 15:11-32. Rubens
painted the scene for his own enjoyment, so that its iconography was not
influenced by any customer or patron. The work already occupies a special
place in the oeuvre of the Antwerp artist, but the fact that it appears to
have a twofold theme makes it even more interesting.
In order to gain an understanding of the painting’s iconographic content,
we need to know precisely what we are looking at; we need to know
which aspect is emphasised. Is it primarily an idealisation of rural life, in
the tradition of Virgil’s Bucolics and Georgics?2 Or is the religious theme
of the prodigal son more important, even though it is represented rather
inconspicuously? Or perhaps the painting is a combination of the two,
intended to bring across a moralistic message. Once we have determined
what the true theme is, we shall see more clearly which iconography applies
to the painting. Conversely, however, we need to explore the iconographical
possibilities before we are able to determine with confidence what the
main theme is. Hence, we shall need to study the two aspects together, and
hope that with every shred that is unravelled we shall be able to rule out
certain interpretations and draw some firm conclusions in relation to the
content of this extraordinary painting by Rubens.
It would, for that matter, seem highly unlikely that Rubens should have
chosen to incorporate the theme of the prodigal son so inconspicuously
for no particular reason.3 The question is, therefore, why did he do so?
Perhaps he felt that, had he represented the barn less prominently, people
would think it served merely as a backdrop for the story of the prodigal son.
Clearly it is more than that. And by the end of this contribution, hopefully
we shall understand why.
2) Virgil’s Bucolics is a collection of pastoral poems on the freedom of the shepherd; the Georgics
deals with farming. Both books were very popular in Rubens’s era and artists commonly referred to
them in their own work. Page, T.E., (ed.),Vergilius, ‘Bucolica et Georgica’, Macmillan, Londen 1898.
And: Gerhardt, I.G.M. (transl.), Vergilius, ‘Het boerenbedrijf: Georgica’, Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, Den
Haag, Athenaeum, Polak en van Gennep, Amsterdam 1949.
3) In his article on the painting, Frans Baudouin argues that the biblical motif is rather secondary and
that the main theme is farm work. Baudouin, F., ‘P.P. Rubens (1577-1640): De Verloren Zoon’, Open�
baar Kunstbezit in Vlaanderen, II, 1964.
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Plays
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the prodigal son was a popular
theme in painting. One author even refers to it as a ‘real blockbuster’.4
From his text we learn that, with the emergence of a new category of art
buyers, tastes gradually changed. These new customers had a preference
for religious scenes combined with worldly topics. This would eventually
give rise to moralising genre painting5, to which many renderings of the
prodigal son belonged. Around the same time, the theme of the prodigal son
commonly appeared in plays, including in those by the Rhetoricians and
the Jesuits. It was ideal for evoking contemporary attitudes towards sin and
forgiveness. The story of the reckless prodigal son who leaves for a distant
country and revels in the joys of life obviously appealed to the imagination.
Moreover, the biblical parable has a happy ending, as the prodigal son
repents and asks God and his father for forgiveness. The moral of the story
had great popular appeal. The Jesuits in particular liked to put on plays that
combined a moral and a religious message for the purpose of educating the
spectators. Representing religious truths and biblical themes was regarded
as essential.6 Here we see a parallel with painting from that period. What
is more, we know that artists, Jesuits and Rhetoricians maintained close
contacts and frequented the same circles.7 All things considered, then, it
is not likely that Rubens used the story merely as a secondary theme in a
landscape painting, and it would therefore appear that we are justified in
seeking for a deeper meaning in this extraordinary painting.
Use of light and posture of the prodigal son
To begin with, let us consider the prodigal son himself. He is represented in
a kneeling posture, and dressed in rags. While the theme of the prodigal son
4) Beeck, J. op de, ‘De zotte schilders: moraalridders van het penseel rond Bosch, Bruegel en Brouwer’,
Snoeck-Ducaju, Gent 2003, p. 10.
5) Beeck, J. op de, 2003, p. 9.
6) Eemeren, G. van, ‘Het Jezuïetentoneel in de 16e-17e eeuw’, in: Streven, Antwerpen 1991, pp. 787799.
7) Gibson, W.S., ‘Artists and Rederijkers in the Age of Bruegel’, Art Bulletin 63 (1981) 3, september, pp.
426-446.
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seems literally to have been pushed into a corner of the painting, Rubens,
through his use of light, succeeds in drawing the viewer’s attention to the
scene. The constellation of the swine, the milkmaid and the prodigal son in
particular is highlighted in an exceptional way, as the luminescence appears
to fall from a peculiar angle. After all, it is still quite light outside, so that it
seems rather unlikely that the candle on the wall should shine so brightly
that it could reach the prodigal son. I feel that,
in order to be able to explain this strange light,
we need first to look at a print by Albrecht Dürer
(ill. 2). The print dates from around 1496 and, in
many ways, is a precursor to Rubens’s painting.
For one thing, few artists besides Rubens and
Dürer ever chose to represent precisely this
episode in the story.8 Furthermore, the kneeling
posture of the prodigal son is similar in the two
renderings. Some have argued that the gaze of
Dürer’s prodigal son is directed at the distant
church towers in the top right corner of the
print.9 In the painting by Rubens, the tearful
prodigal son gazes at infinity; he would appear
not to be looking at anything in particular, which Ill. 2. Albrecht Dürer, The Prodigal Son,
c. 1496, engraving, 261 x 202 mm.
suggests, I believe, that he is not begging for food
from the maid, as various other authors have
asserted.10 Like Dürer, Rubens chose to depict the moment of repentance.
The prodigal son comes to realise that he has made mistakes and he begs
8) Herrmann-Fiore, K., ‘Rubens und Dürer’, in: Hubala, E. (ed.), Rubens. Kunstgeschichtliche Beitrage,
Konstanz, 1979, p. 115.
9) Haeger, B., ‘Philips Galle’s engravings after Maarten van Heemskerck’s Parable of the Prodigal
Son’, in: Oud Holland, 102, nr.1 (1988), p. 135.
10) In the biblical text (Luke 15:16), we read: “And he longed to eat his fill on the pods on which the
swine fed, but nobody gave him any.” (translation Willibrordbible, 1995) This would seem to suggest that the prodigal son did not necessarily beg for food. It is therefore not likely that his kneeling
posture in the painting indicates that he is begging. He is dressed in rags because he has squandered
all his money and must work as a swineherd. Hence, we interpret the kneeling posture as a sign of
humility before God, whom he addresses and begs for forgiveness.
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for forgiveness. But what precisely is the son’s infinite gaze directed
at in Rubens’s rendering? The clue lies, I think, in the strange light that
illuminates the son. It comes from the direction in which he is looking and,
in my opinion, it is not a natural, but rather a supernatural light. When the
repentant prodigal son turns to God, His light shines down upon him.
speaking, the swine has a negative connotation. Labelled as impure by
God, the animal appears in the bible as a symbol of sin and vice, and is
associated particularly with lust, gluttony and idleness.12 The well-known
biographer and artist Karel van Mander, in his book ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen
der Figueren, en hoe de oude Heydenen hun Goden hebben uytghebeeldt, en
onderscheyden.’ from 1604, writes the following about swine: “Het Vercken,
ligghende in ‘t slijck, Roosen vertredende, wort gheleken den Man, die van
goede zeden afgescheyden, in ondeuchden zijn behagen heeft. Het Vercken
beteyckent oock den onreynen, oft onheylighen.”13 While swine obviously
do appear in the parable of the prodigal son, the above interpretation
would also seem to make sense in the context of the painting. They also fit
in with the representation of a barn, of course.
Another interesting aspect concerning the use of light in this painting is
the contrast between the fading daylight and the candlelight in the barn,
for example. Is this just a way of saying that the day is at an end, and that
the candle has been lit in order that work in the barn could continue? For
that matter, I infer from the reddish glow at the horizon and the clouds to
the right that the sun is setting and that the end of the day is approaching.
Many authors agree with this interpretation.11 Another tell-tale sign is the
farm-hand who wades the horses through the water: their body and legs
are being washed after a day’s work on the land. Hence, the question arises
whether there are perhaps more such ‘hidden’ elements to be discovered
in this painting; aspects which we may not have noticed initially. Perhaps a
seventeenth-century viewer was able to read the painting more aptly than
our modern eyes can. And perhaps the seemingly very different themes of
farming and the prodigal son are more closely related than would initially
appear. By taking a closer look at the painting, we may be able to answer
these questions more definitively. However, we must of course refrain
from overinterpretation. Let us therefore consider the possible meanings
of each detail of the scene separately and subsequently ascertain which
interpretation may apply to Rubens’s painting.
Swine
Let us first explore the meaning of the swine, which appear in the bottom
of the picture. They are jostling to get to the food in the trough. The piglets,
for their part, are trying to feed from the mother sow’s teats. Generally
11) See among others: Logan, A.M., Plomp, M.C., ‘P.P. Rubens: The drawings’, Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York, pp. 272-279; Maréchal, E., ‘De verloren zoon’, in: Het Museumboek. Hoogtepun�
����������
ten uit de verzameling. KMSKA, Antwerpen, 2003, pp. 90-91; Morel, Y., ‘P.P. Rubens. Catalogus.
Schilderijen – Olieverfschetsen. KMSKA’, Antwerpen, 1990, pp. 46-49, nr. 7.
Dog
The iconography of the dog has always
been dual. Its connotation can either be
negative, as is the case in the bible, or
positive. In Christian iconography, the
dog is often associated with the devil,
but Plinius the Elder, for example, calls
it the most faithful animal to man.14 And
we also commonly encounter the dog
as a companion in art. In Van Mander’s
Wtbeeldinghen, we read the following
about the symbolic meaning of the dog:
Ill. 3. Adriaen Brouwer,
Peasants Fighting, c. 1625,
panel, 25,5 x 34 cm,
The Hague, Mauritshuis.
12) We read on several occasions in the bible that swine are impure animals. For an example, see
Maccabees 1:47.
13) Mander, Karel van, ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen der Figueren, en hoe de oude Heydenen hun Goden heb�
ben uytghebeeldt, en onderscheyden.’, Haarlem, 1604, fol.129r. You can find the complete (dutch) text
on the website: http://www.dbnl.nl. Paraphrase of the text: “The pig, lying in the mud, stepping on
roses, is like the man, separated from good customs, and has his liking in immoralities. The pig also
means the unclean, or unholy.”
14) Hall, J., ‘Hall’s Iconografisch Handboek: onderwerpen, symbolen en motieven in de beeldende kunst’,
Primavera Pers Leiden 1993, p. 145. Here, reference is made to: Plinius the Elder, Naturalis Historiae,
boek 8:40.
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“Den Hondt beteykent den rechten Leeraer, die onbeschroemt moet
ghestadich bassen, de wacht houden over ‘s Menschen sielen, en bestraffen
de zonden der Menschen.”15 In Rubens’s Prodigal Son, we notice a dog to
the left of the group of swine. It is trying to get to the teat of the mother
sow, who looks back, annoyed. Obviously this is not an everyday course of
events, so that I feel Rubens must have chosen to depict it for a particular
reason. I suspect he meant the dog to be associated with the prodigal son.
Apparently both have sunk to the level of the swine. We also find a dog in
the company of pigs in a painting by Adriaen Brouwer from 1625, entitled
Peasants Fighting, which is now held by the Mauritshuis (ill. 3). Brouwer’s
paintings were, first and foremost, illustrations of how not to conduct one’s
life.
bestellen goede oft ghenoech Godlijcke leeringhen en Wetten, waerom sy
wierdt gheheeten Thesmophores, dat is, Wetgeefster: het welck hun oock
genoech, als een seer behoeflijck tweede broodt, bequaem en dienstigh
was, soo om hun landen af te palen, t’onderscheyden, en onderlinghe in
de Weerelt goedertierlijck, eendrachtigh en vredigh te leven.”18 In other
words, Ceres, as a legislatress, gave man order
and regularity. And this is very applicable
to the virtuousness of farm labour. Rubens
depicted Ceres on several occasions in his
paintings. Here we see her with a garland of
corn ears around her head and sheaf of corn
lying nearby. (ill. 5)
Corn
In the bottom left foreground of the painting lies a sheaf of corn. Corn is
the attribute of Ceres, the Goddess of agriculture and harvest who is also
commonly mentioned in Virgil’s Georgics.16 A similar sheaf of corn appears
in certain ‘Adorations’, including Gerard David’s
early sixteenth-century Adoration of the Magi (ill.
4). In that instance, the corn is a reference to the
Eucharist: bread as the body of Christ. It may also
be a reference to Bethlehem, which means ‘House
of bread’.17
On Ceres, Van Mander wrote in his book‘Uutlegginghe,
en sin-ghevende verclaringhe, op den Metamorphosis
Publij Ovidij Nasonis’, the following: “Ceres, boven
datse t’volck (dat woestlijck leefde, eyckelen, jae
Menschen vleesch at) het kooren en t’broodt heeft
deelachtich ghemaeckt, heeft der Menschen vuyle
quade zeden verandert, door hun te
Ill. 4. Gerard David, The Adoration of the Magi,
c. 1500, panel, 84 x 67 cm, Brussels,
Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België.
15) Mander, Karel van, ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen...’, 1604, fol. 128v. Paraphrase: “The dog is the right
teacher, that must boldly bark and keep watch over human souls and punish their sins.”
16) Gerhardt, I.G.M., 1949. See for example verse 160.
17) Impelluso, L.,’Nature and its symbols’, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2003, p. 23.
Doves
Ill. 5 P.P. Rubens, Venus, Cupid, Bacchus and Ceres,
In the top right of the painting
c. 1612-13, canvas, 141 x 200 cm, Kassel, Staatliche Museen
we notice doves flying around a
dovecote on a roof. Likewise, in the previously mentioned print by Dürer,
there are doves on the roof. In Christian iconography, the dove symbolises
the Holy Spirit. It was also used to represent the human soul, a notion
originating in Antiquity. According to Lucia Impelluso, birds in the sky
may also be interpreted as symbols of the human soul, ‘ascending’ towards
God.19 An appropriate interpretation in the context of the prodigal son
may be that, as doves fly out and always return to their coop, so the (lost)
human soul invariably returns home and to God. The dove also appears
in the biblical story of Noah’s Ark in the Old Testament. In Matth. 10:16,
we read about the dove as a symbol of humilitas, when Christ says: “Be
harmless (innocent) as doves”.20
18) Mander, Karel van, ‘Uutlegginghe, en sin-ghevende verclaringhe, op den Metamorphosis Publij Ovi�
dij Nasonis’ 1604, fol. 48v. The Metamorphoses, by the classical author Ovid, was an important source
of inspiration to many artists. Paraphrase: “Ceres, next to the fact that she gave corn and bread to the
people, (who lived wildly, ate acorns, and even human flesh), changed their evil sins, and gave them
Divine laws and rule, why she was called Thesmophores, that is, legislatress: which was of enough
service to them, so that they could manage their lands en live in peace.”
19) Impelluso, L., 2003, p. 291.
20) Laarhoven, J., van, ‘De beeldtaal van de christelijke kunst’, Uitgeverij Sun Nijmegen, Amsterdam
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Arguably more applicable to our painting, though, is the following
interpretation. In the late Middle Ages, many types of bird, including doves
or pigeons, were associated with lust. The expression ‘to keep pigeons in
the loft’ meant: to run a brothel.21 The association with love and lust is
also made in Van Mander’s Wtbeeldinghen: “De Duyve, oock een van Venus
Waghen-peerden, wort voor de liefde gehouden:
want sy malcander schijnen te kussen. Sommighe
willender een gheestlijcke liefde mede beteykenen.
Sy wort oock ghenomen voor d’eenvuldicheyt, om
datmen leest, eenvuldich als Duyven: en om datse
sonder galle is, voor de goedertierenheyt.”22 In
a sixteenth-century emblem book by Hadrianus
Junius, doves are literally represented as the
chariot horses of Venus (ill. 6).23 In a book on love
emblems by Daniël Heinsius from 1601, we find an
emblem featuring a dovecote (ill. 7). It represents
how the individual is held captive (in
Ill. 6. From Hadrianus Junius,
the dovecote) but can choose to fly out,
The Emblemata of Hadrianus Junius,
reprint of the Plantine edition, Max Rooses (ed.), towards freedom. At the same time,
Antwerp, Nederlandsche Boekhandel, 1902.
however, one has to realise that, in this
freedom, Cupid lies in wait, so that one
can at any time become captive again, only this time of love.24 In another
book of emblems, by Otto van Veen, Rubens’s teacher, we encounter a dove
1992, pp. 14; 28; 160.
21) Jongh, E. de, ‘Erotica in vogelperspectief. De dubbelzinnigheid van een reeks zeventiende-eeuwse
genrevoorstellingen.’ In: E. De Jongh, Kwesties van betekenis. Thema en motief in de Nederlandse schil�
derkunst van de zeventiende eeuw. Leiden, 1995, p. 28.
����������������������
) Mander, Karel van, ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen...’, 1604, fol. 131v. Paraphrase:
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“The dove, also one of Venus’s chariot horses, is a symbol of love: because they seem to kiss eachother. Some signify a spiritual
love. She also means simplicity, for one reads: as simple as doves: and because she is without negativity, only filled with kindness.”
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
) Emblem books were filled with ideas and pictorial motives. Every picture was accompanied by
a title and a explanatory text. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century these books were very
popular amongst artists. They were often about love, and formed a great inspiration.
�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
) The emblem and its meaning were taken from the website of the Emblem Project Utrecht.: http://
emblems.let.uu.nl.
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in a picture representing Minerva fleeing various
vices (ill. 8).25 So here the dove stands for a vice,
probably lust, given the abovementioned symbolic
meaning of the dove and the beet that the figure
is holding in the other hand. I shall return to this
point in the paragraph on the meaning of beets. If
the doves do refer to lust and
love in our case, this could
point to the behavior of the
prodigal son before he started
his repentance.
Ill. 7. From Daniël Heinsius,
‘Quaeris quid sit Amor’, c. 1601.
Beets
Just behind the farming tools, we notice a bundle of
greens, most probably beets to feed the cattle, though
they also look like onions or garlic. I shall, in any case,
refer to them as beets for the sake of clarity. We also
Ill. 8. Otto van Veen,
encounter such beets in Rubens’s painting Winter:
Emblemata Horatiana,
title: ‘Virtuti sapientia comes, the interior of a barn (ill. 9) and in the print by Dürer.
Leyden, Antwerp, 1607
This repeated use of the image may indicate that it has
some kind of symbolic meaning. In The Prodigal Son,
one of the beets lies separated
from the others. The figure
in the emblem by Otto van
Veen, which I have previously
discussed in relation to the
meaning of the pigeons, carries
in the other hand something
that
resembles
a
beet.
Ill. 9. P.P. Rubens, Winter, c. 1618, panel, 121,4 x 223,1 cm
London, The Royal Collection
�����������������������������������
) Vaenius, Otto, (Otto van Veen), ‘Emblemata Horatiana’, Leiden, Antwerpen, 1607, nr. 5, pp. 16-17.
The title of this illustration is: ‘Virtuti sapientia comes’, or: Wisdom is the companion of virtue. Minerva (with helmet) is the personification of wisdom and intellect. We read in the text that accompanies the illustration that she is fleeing for a variety of sins: ‘Virtus est, vitium fugere...’. We recognise
pride in the shape of a peacock, for example, and stupidity incarnated as a donkey.
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Considering the pigeon and the fact that Minerva is seen fleeing here for
vices, the beet too must have had a negative connotation: most probably it
was seen as a reference to lust. We find further support for this idea in a
couple of fifteenth-century engravings by the Monogrammist b x g (ill. 10).
In the one, we see a peasant
with garlic, while in the other
- a pendant – we see a farmer’s
wife with a pitcher, an erotic
metaphor for the female sexual
organs. These engravings are
interpreted as a satire on the
lustfulness of old men and
women.26 Hence, it is quite
possible that the beet or the
Ill. 10. Monogrammist b x g
garlic should be interpreted in
much the same way.
Candle
The candle is a symbol of wisdom, the light of life and also that of faith.
In this painting, we encounter two candles. One is attached to the barn
wall, while the other is held by an old woman in the background, near
the trough of the cattle. I shall discuss the old woman separately in the
next paragraph. For now, let us deal with the candle against the wall. It
shines light on the farm-hand who is tossing up hay to feed the horses.
This creates the impression that work on the farm is continuing into the
evening. The sun has almost set and the barn is already getting dark. With
the candlelight, the farm-hand is able to carry on working. In Rubens’s
Winter: the interior of a barn there is, in a similar manner, a candle attached
to the wall, near the cattle. For this reason, I believe the candle has no other
significance than that of illumination inside the barn. At the very most, it
may be a reference to the virtue of labour. In Van Mander’s Wtbeeldinghen,
one of the things we read about the meaning of a candle or ‘lamp’ is the
������������������������������������
) Beeck, J. op de, 2003, p. 159-60.
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following: “Met de Lampe wort oock verstaen de
wakentheyt en nachtsche vlijt...”.27 In Otto van Veen’s
Emblemata Horatiana, a candle appears in various
illustrations (ill. 11, 12). Here, it is often associated with
lifespan and how wisdom leads to
longevity: the candle is longer and
not quickly burned down.28
Ill. 11., Otto van Veen, Emblemata
Horatiana, Leyden, Anwerp, 1607,
title: ‘Crapula Ingenium offuscat’
Ill. 12., Otto van Veen, Emblemata
Horatiana, Leyden, Anwerp, 1607,
title: ‘Diuturna Quies Vitiis Alimentum’
Old woman with candle
The old woman with a candle, on the other hand,
would appear to take on more symbolic meaning.
She appears as an inconspicuous figure in the
background of the dark barn, holding a candle
in one hand and protecting its flame with the
other. Looking more closely at Rubens’s oeuvre,
we notice that the old woman features in other
paintings too. A particularly good example is Old
Woman and a Boy With Candles from c.1616-17,
which is in the collection of the Mauritshuis in
The Hague (ill. 13). A similar painting by Rubens
Ill. 13. P.P. Rubens, Old Woman and a Boy With Candles,
c. 1616, panel, 79 x 61 cm, The Hague, Mauritshuis
����������������������
) Mander, Karel van, ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen...’, 1604, fol. 134r. Paraphrase: “The lamp (or light) also
means being awake and nightly diligence.”
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������
) Vaenius, Otto, (Otto van Veen), 1607, nr. 17, pp. 40-41; and nr. 23, pp. 52-53.
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is held by the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden. It features an old woman with
a coal basket (ill. 14). This theme also appears in Winter: the interior of a
barn, where we see an old woman with a basket sitting
at a fire with beggars. The woman in the painting at
the Mauritshuis, for that matter, is also carrying a
basket. The latter painting was reproduced as a print
by Paulus Pontius (ill. 15), to which Rubens added a
caption that is particularly interesting for the purpose
of interpretation. The text translates as: “Who forbids
the taking of a nearby light? Even if thousands do so,
nothing is lost by it”. The text was
apparently borrowed from Ovid’s
‘Ars amatoria’, another classical
author from whom seventeenthcentury artists liked to draw
Ill. 14., P.P. Rubens,
Old woman with a cole basket,
inspiration. In his book on the
c. 1618-1620, panel, 115 x 92 cm,
art of love, Ovid encourages his
Dresden, Gemäldegalerie
readers to enjoy love when they
are still young. The spectre is that of becoming an old
woman who has missed her opportunities but still
feels desire.29
on her life and contemplates all those wasted opportunities in love.��And
this is precisely what Rubens’s caption under the print refers to.�� In Jan
Op de Beeck’s book De zotte schilders, there is an interesting passage on
the meaning of the old woman in medieval literature and painting.32 It is
argued that such figures should be interpreted as a denouncement of the
old female who still feels desire. In this era, such women were frowned
upon.
Ill. 15. Paulus Pontius after P.P. Rubens, Old Woman and a Boy With Candles,
engraving, 246 x 201 mm, 2nd state, with inscription by Rubens,
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale
According to Peter van der Ploeg, the candlelight in this painting is, among
other things, the light of life or wisdom which the old woman passes on to
the boy, but he also recognises in the scene an old woman who looks back
����������������
) Hout, N. van, ‘Copyright Rubens: Rubens en de grafiek’, Ludion Gent, 2004, pp. 72-3. The original
Latin text reads: ‘Quis vetet apposito, lumen de lumine tolli, mille licet capiant, deperit inde nihil.’
The meaning of the text is that the flame of love is easily lit, so why not let it be lit by a nearby fire.
This you cannot forbid. However, old women who still felt the desire to light up this flame were
scorned. In this period in time being in love was looked upon as a weakness and a distraction of the
more important things in life. Van Hout’s book contains pictures of the four different prints by Paulus
Pontius after Rubens’s painting. The translation of the Latin text into English was provided by the
Mauritshuis.
Considering the above, how then should we interpret the appearance of
the old woman with the candle in Rubens’s Prodigal Son? Certainly in
sixteenth-century plays based on the parable, we encounter the theme of
lost youth and the devotion of one’s youthful years to love.33 Apparently, this
idea ties in well with representations of the parable. But in these plays, it is
also apparent that letting one be lead by desire represents sinful behavior.
Ultimately, then, what Rubens is trying to convey with the depiction of
the old woman is the Christian moral that lust is sinful and that only in
youth should such feelings be channelled towards procreation.34 And at
the same time Rubens acknowledges, as we have read in the subscription
of the print, that it is not easy to defy desire. Because apparently nobody
can forbid, the flame of love to be lit.
Cockerel and chicken
From the rack containing the horses’ feed, a cockerel and chicken are
observing the scene.
The cockcrow, of course, heralds the new day, but in Christian iconography
the cockerel is also associated with the betrayal of Christ by the apostle
�����������������������������������������������������������
) Ploeg, van der, P., ‘Oude vrouw en jongen met kaarsen’, Vereniging Rembrandt, autumn 2006, pp.
9-11.
���������������
) Cf. note 24.
����������������������������������
) Beeck, J. op de, 2003, p. 158.
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
) E.g. we encounter this notion in Robert Lawet’s play “Vanden verlooren zoone” from 1583.
See: Galama, E.G.A. (ed.), ‘Vanden verlooren zoone door Robert Lawet 1583’, Dekker en Van de Vegt,
Utrecht, 1941.
����������������������������������
) Beeck, J. op de, 2003, p. 158.
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Peter. Peter is in turn often associated with the prodigal son because they
are both repentant sinners.35 In addition, the cockerel is a symbol of lust. In
an article by Eddy de Jongh, we read about the symbolic meaning in art of
various species of bird. He emphasises that many used to be associated with
love and libido. A chicken, for example, might have signified a girl of easy
virtue, while the cockerel was seen as a symbol of impurity in general.36
In emblem books, chicken and cockerel sometimes represent Christ and
Satan.37
It is quite conceivable, then, that the chicken and cockerel in The Prodigal
Son are a reference to sinfulness.
commit sins. And be occupied with useless matters
like love. In a commentary of this last emblem on
the website of the Emblem Project Utrecht, we
read that the connection between love and a life of
doing nothing and being lazy is a traditional one.38
Van Mander expresses a similar idea. He describes
the meaning of the cobweb as follows: “Het Spinnewebbe wijst aen een onnut werck oft Const (=Ydel
werc).��For that matter, a loose-hanging cobweb, as
appears in some other paintings, refers to salvation
Ill. 17., From : Jacob Cats, Proteus,
from the devil. This is also the case in Rubens’s
1618, Title: ‘Affluit incautis’
Adoration of the Magi from 1624, which is likewise
in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (ill. 18), and
where the birth of Christ signifies the deliverance from Satan.
All associations with the spider and the cobweb
eventually point to the idea of the spider as the goddess
of love or as a devilish animal, that spins a web, in which
it catches weak souls. With this meaning the cobweb
fits well with the moral of the parabel. It points out
the danger of sinful behavior that lurks around every
corner. Beware or you will get caught!
Cobweb
In Christian culture, the spider is associated
with the devil, in whose web the human soul
may become entangled. In The Prodigal Son,
we notice numerous cobwebs hanging from the
roof of the barn. There is, however, not a spider
to be seen. We again refer to emblem books,
where cobwebs appear not only as the web of
the devil, but also as that of love. In Proteus, an
emblem book by Jacob Cats dating from 1618, for
example, we find an image representing weak
souls caught in love’s web (amorousness was
Ill. 16, From: Jacob Cats, Proteus, 1618
regarded as a weakness) and a strong person
Title: ‘Non intrandum, aut penetrandum’
who overcomes love and will not allow himself
to be overwhelmed by it (ill. 16). Another emblem shows how devious the
spider is. Like Venus, it crawls up on weak persons, who spend their lives
in idleness, and captures them in its web (ill. 17). So the general notion
is that, if one leads an idle and lazy life, and fails to occupy oneself with
sensible activities, like working the land, then one shall be more inclined to
�������������������������������
) Impelluso, L., 2003, p. 313.
������������������������������������������������������������������
) Jongh, E. de, 1995, pp. 21-58; and Impelluso, L., 2003, p. 313.
���������������
) Henkel, A., ‚Emblemata: Handbuch zur Sinnbildkunst des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts‘, Stuttgart, 1976,
p. 853.
Ill. 18. P.P. Rubens, The Adoration of the Magi, 1624
Panel, 447 x 337 cm., Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten.
�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
) The source for these emblems and the translations of their Latin titles is: http://emblems.let.uu.nl
, a website of the Emblem Project Utrecht. I referred to the emblems nrs: 36 and 39 of Cats’ Proteus,
1618. In Cats’s book Sinne-en Minnebeelden of 1627 these are the (same) emblems: 37 and 40. One can
find the commentary mentioned beneath nr. 37.
����������������������
) Mander, Karel van, ‘Van de Wtbeeldinghen...’, 1604, fol. 132r. Paraphrase: “The Cobweb points to a
useless or an idle work.”.
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Willow
Trees, too, can have a symbolic meaning. On the right, in the background,
against the orange glow of the setting sun, grows a pollard willow, and we
also see part of another willow behind the barn. As is explained in the
technical part of this project, an earlier version of The Prodigal Son featured
several pollard willows. A print by Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert after Rubens’s
painting also suggests that there was an earlier version with several more
such trees (ill. 19). The large deciduous tree next to the barn was originally
a leafless pollard willow. This is an interesting observation in the light of
the iconography of the pollard willow in the painting and, if Rubens did
indeed paint the trees with a specific intention, then the question arises
why he subsequently chose to remove them. In Christian iconography, it
often refers to sin and mournfulness, but
it is also associated with fertility. Being a
tree that loses its fruit before it is ripe, the
willow has had an ambiguous symbolic
meaning since antiquity. The infertile
tree appears in Homer’s Odyssee and in
Naturalis Historiae by Plinius.40
by the waterside (ill. 21).42 The text that
accompanies the illustration tells of a spoilt, lazy
son who lives off his father’s money and who
occupies himself primarily with worldly pleasures.
The closing sentence goes as follows: “He who
loses the seed of virtue in the prime of his life shall
never bear fruit.”43
Hence, it seems likely that Rubens choice for
willows in this painting was not coincidental. This
motive too refers apparently to lust and the sinful
behavior of the prodigal son before his moment of
Ill. 20, From: Andreas Alciatus,
Emblematum liber, 1621, title: ‘Salix’ repentance. The question remains, though, why he
subsequently chose to paint over the largest of
these pollard willows.
In the emblem literature, we encounter
the willow also as a symbol of lost youth,
including in the context of procreation,
Ill. 19, Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert after P.P. Rubens,
an iconography that is similar to that
The Prodigal Son,
engraving, 439 x 615 mm.
of the previously discussed old woman
with a candle. In Andreas Alciatus’s
book of emblems, the author refers to Homer and writes: “Because Homer
called the willow a fruit-losing tree, it resembles men who are of Clitorian
habits.” (ill. 20).41 In Henkel’s emblem book, we find a picture of a willow
������������������������������
) Impelluso, L., 2003, p. 58.
������������������������������������������
) This text accompanies emblem 201 in the Emblematum liber (1531) by Andreas Alciatus. The
original text is: “Quod frugisperdam salicem vocitarit Homerus, Clitoriis homines moribus adsimilat”. Source: http://www.mun.ca/alciato.
Conclusion
As we have demonstrated above, the iconography
of every detail in the The Prodigal Son ties in
very closely with the painting’s biblical theme.
I feel we may conclude on this basis that it was
not Rubens’s intention merely to depict a farm
scene, with the theme of the prodigal son just a
minor religious addition to the rural landscape.
Ill. 21. From A. Henkel,
His rendering of The Prodigal Son is more than
Emblemata: Handbuch zur Sinnbildkunst
des 16. unf 17. Jahrhunderts,
that; it combines visible and invisible references
Stuttgart, 1976, p. 244,
to two different themes. On the one hand, we
title: ‘Perdita Iuventus’.
see farming activity, as Rubens represents the
virtues of labour and of filling one’s days with meaningful activity. On the
other, he juxtaposes this scene with the theme of the prodigal son. His mere
presence in the bottom corner suffices for the viewer to be reminded of the
��������������������������������
) Henkel, A., 1976, pp. 244-45.
�������������������������������������������������������������������
) This text is cited in Henkel, but it is originally from Homer’s Odyssey and is also mentioned by
Plinius the Elder in his Naturalis Historiae and by Theophrastus. Henkel, A., 1976, p. 245.
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entire story and the moral message of the biblical parable. And as we study
the story in greater depth, we soon discover that it is full of references to
lust, sin and vice. The artist conveys to us that we should devote our lives
to meaningful labour and that licentious behaviour is a sin. However, by
choosing to represent the moment of repentance, he also tells us that, if we
show remorse for our sins, God shall forgive us. And in Rubens’s era, this
was an ideal representation of the Catholic notion that sins can be washed
away through good work.