Departure of the Prodigal Son

Beham employed the traditional engraving method, incising lines into a copper plate with a burin to produce fine, precise marks. The print’s minute scale allows for intricate detailing of clothing, foliage, and architectural elements, a hallmark of Beham’s work and of the “Little Masters” aesthetic, which prized meticulous rendering over large format.

Created during Beham’s most productive period, the engraving is one of roughly 252 prints the artist produced, encompassing engravings, etchings, and woodcuts. While specific ownership records for this particular impression are scarce, the work circulated among collectors of German prints in the mid‑16th century and later entered museum collections that specialize in Renaissance graphic art.

The early 1540s marked a flourishing of German printmaking, with artists building on Dürer’s technical and compositional advances. Beham, operating in Nuremberg, contributed to this vibrant market by supplying small, highly detailed prints that appealed to both private patrons and the burgeoning print‑collecting public.

*Departure of the Prodigal Son* illustrates the capacity of the miniature engraving to convey complex narrative and emotional nuance. It remains a reference point for scholars studying the diffusion of biblical subjects in Northern Renaissance prints and the distinctive visual language of the “Little Masters.”