Verloren zoon als varkenshoeder

The engraving centers on the biblical figure of the Prodigal Son, depicted as a ragged youth leaning on a staff. He stands before a crumbling farmhouse where a woman milks a cow, surrounded by livestock and domestic activities that emphasize his social fall. The intricate linework captures a sense of rural decay, mirroring the character's spiritual and physical state of exile.

Beyond its biblical narrative, the Parable of the Prodigal Son was utilized by Renaissance Neoplatonists as an allegory for the soul's journey. It represents the 'descent' of the soul into the 'far country' of the material world and its eventual 'ascent' back to the divine source, a theme central to the Hermetic and Platonic traditions.