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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 21, The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Galleries

The Prodigal Son

Statue
ca. 1885-1887 (made)
Artist/Maker
Rodin (maker)
Place of origin
France (made)

The Prodigal Son, with its many versions and adaptations, is an example of Rodin's reuse and adaptation of favourite themes and compositions. It is ultimately derived from a figure Rodin used in a group of 'Ugolino' - the head and torso are identical. Rodin then gave the figure different limbs and combined it with a fleeing female figure for the group called 'Fugit Amor' (Love Flees) on the 'Gates of Hell' bronze portal and doors for the new Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, which he was asked to design in 1880. Finally in 1894 it was first exhibited as a single free-standing figure, with the title 'The Child of the Century'. The figure is highly characteristic of Rodin's search for dramatic expression in 1880s. Rodin described his work: 'I emphasised the protrusion of the muscles to express distress… I exaggerated the tendons that mark the fervour of the prayer'. The title of 'The Prodigal Son' is from the biblical parable of the son who, having spent all his money, returns to his father and throws himself at his feet, begging for forgiveness. Other titles it has been given include 'The Prayer of the Abandoned Child' and even 'The Dying Warrior'.


Object details

Categories
Christianity
Sculpture
Object type
Statue
TitleThe Prodigal Son
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Bronze
Brief description
Bronze statue, 'The Prodigal Son', by Auguste Rodin, French, ca. 1885-1887
Physical description
Bronze figure of a kneeling man with his arms aloft.
Dimensions
  • Height: 138cm
  • Weight: 93kg
  • Width: 95cm (Note: Maximum display dimension.)
  • Depth: 66cm (Note: Maximum display dimension.)
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'A. Rodin' (1) Signature; Upper surface of the base)
  • 'Alexis Rudier Fondeur Paris' (Inscription; decoration; On the back of the base)
Gallery label
  • Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) The Prodigal Son About 1885–87 Rodin often reused figures at different scales, and with different materials, configurations and titles. He first conceived this nude for his major commission The Gates of Hell. Here he has rearranged the figure from its earlier reclining position to an upright pose, projecting forwards as if suspended in space. Rodin also reworked the model – exaggerating the muscles, stretching out the torso and prolonging the arms – to convey distress. Paris Bronze, cast by Alexis Rudier(2021)
  • Rodin often reused a favourite pose, on a different scale, in a different material, and with a different title. He first conceived this figure for the Gates of Hell, a bronze portal on which he worked for many years but never finished. It appears there as part of a two-figure group, Fugit Amor.(March 2007)
Credit line
Given by Rodin in November 1914
Object history
Rodin was invited to design an entrance portal for the new museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, in 1880 and the project for the 'Gates of Hell' resulted. Though the commission was never fulfilled it occupied the sculptor for much of his career. This statue is derived from a figure originally planned low down on the right hand panel of the doors.
Literary referenceBible: parable of the prodigal son
Summary
The Prodigal Son, with its many versions and adaptations, is an example of Rodin's reuse and adaptation of favourite themes and compositions. It is ultimately derived from a figure Rodin used in a group of 'Ugolino' - the head and torso are identical. Rodin then gave the figure different limbs and combined it with a fleeing female figure for the group called 'Fugit Amor' (Love Flees) on the 'Gates of Hell' bronze portal and doors for the new Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, which he was asked to design in 1880. Finally in 1894 it was first exhibited as a single free-standing figure, with the title 'The Child of the Century'. The figure is highly characteristic of Rodin's search for dramatic expression in 1880s. Rodin described his work: 'I emphasised the protrusion of the muscles to express distress… I exaggerated the tendons that mark the fervour of the prayer'. The title of 'The Prodigal Son' is from the biblical parable of the son who, having spent all his money, returns to his father and throws himself at his feet, begging for forgiveness. Other titles it has been given include 'The Prayer of the Abandoned Child' and even 'The Dying Warrior'.
Bibliographic references
  • Hawkins, Jennifer, Rodin Sculptures, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1975, p.18, ill.5
  • Mitchell, Claudine. The Gift to the British Nation: Rodin at the V&A. In: Mitchell, Claudine. ed.Rodin: The Zola of Sculpture. Henry Moore Institute, 2003. pp. 183-200.
  • Antoinette, Le Normand-Romain. The Bronzes of Rodin: Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin. London : Lund Humphries ; Paris : Éditions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2007. pp. 319-323.
  • Chevillot, Catherine & Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette, eds. Rodin: Le livre du centenaire, exh. cat., 2017, p. 214, cat. 86.
  • Lampert, Catherine, Rodin, London, Royal Academy of Arts, 2006
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.34-1914

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Record createdNovember 26, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70822/the-prodigal-son-statue-rodin/
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