A carved oak group in high relief depicting the Prodigal Son - Lot 43

A carved oak group in high relief depicting the Prodigal Son among courtesans: the reclining young man is having his hair combed by a woman, while a jester holding his puppet on the left watches the scene; the lower section is molded. Southern Netherlands, circa 1500/1520 H. 34.4 cm - W. 28.1 cm (minor losses) The depiction of this episode from the Parable of the Prodigal Son among courtesans reflects the late medieval trend of plays dealing with the same subject. For instance, a polychrome oak group preserved at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. BK-15436) and a tapestry at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (inv. 25884) depict this subject as a feast where the Prodigal Son spends his money on the pleasures of drinking and feasting. The presence of a fool as a witness serves to denounce the excesses of this behavior. Here, the pleasure of debauchery is made explicit in this scene through the use of the comb held by the prostitute, a highly codified symbol of the time for carnal pleasure and lust. Works consulted: - Paris-Ecouen Exhibition 2009, Le Bain et le Miroir, Musée de Cluny (Museum of the Middle Ages) and Château d’Ecouen (Museum of the Renaissance), cat. 123, pp. 185 and 191. - Paris 2024/2025 Exhibition, Figures of the Fool from the Middle Ages to the Romantics, Louvre Museum, cat. 72 and 73.