The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) fascinated Rembrandt all through his life. He produced a host of drawings, etchings and paintings on the theme of the Gospel tale of an irresponsible young man who leaves his father's house, squanders the money given to him and, after serious sufferings, returns repentant to his father. The artist reflects on the story of that life even in his Self-Portrait with Saskia on his Lap of 1635. At the end of his life Rembrandt painted the monumental canvas The Return of the Prodigal Son in which he most fully expresses his conceptions of enduring human values. The idea is splendidly executed. The rich palette is founded on the subtlest shades and gradations of a small range of colours, dominated by golden ochres, cinnabar reds and brownish blacks now flaring, now fading in a golden glow. The variety of methods used to apply the paint to the canvas intensifies the impression that the painted surface is vibrating, glistening, like some piece of jewellery.This painting was acquired in 1766 from the collection of the Duc d'Amezune in Paris.