De Verloren Zoon vraagt zijn vader om zijn erfdeel 18th century

Giovanni Volpato created this print, “The Prodigal Son Asks His Father for His Inheritance,” sometime in the late 18th century. The print depicts a scene from the Bible, set in what looks like an upper-class home. The story of the prodigal son is a parable about forgiveness and unconditional love, yet this image encourages us to consider it in relation to gender and class. The son, dressed in fine clothes, demands his inheritance early, a move that would have been socially unacceptable at the time. What does it mean to portray the son as entitled? How does this depiction reflect the artist’s own social standing and biases? The story invites you to consider the power dynamics inherent in familial relationships and the economic realities that shape them. We might also ask ourselves how societal expectations around wealth and responsibility shape our understanding of forgiveness and redemption. The image serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between personal choices and structural inequalities.