Return of the Prodigal Son

This is a small picture, and it has a companion at the same museum showing the other half of the story, the son squandering everything on good living. Here Palma paints the return. The young man kneels in rags, arms crossed on his chest, while his old father leans down to take him back. Three servants hurry in from the left carrying the things that will undo his disgrace, a fresh robe, sandals for his feet, and a ring for his hand, the marks of a son rather than a servant. Palma strips the scene of almost everything else, no fine women or laid tables, so nothing competes with the bend of the father toward the boy. In the background, under a loggia, the household is already getting the welcome feast ready.