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The Return of the Prodigal Son oil on canvas 401/4 x 50 1/8 in. (102.2 x 127.2 cm.) NOTES The composition belongs to a group of biblical subjects that were first treated by Jacopo and Francesco Bassano in conjunction in circa 1576-7. These new designs were a reaction to the growing demand among the Venetian connoisseurs and Bassano gentry that formed the base of Jacopo's clientele for the depictions of rustic subjects, often in the guise of biblical themes, in which he specialized. All the works devised in this period were on much the same scale - roughly 95 x 120 cm. - as the present work. As with much of the family's combined productions, the first treatment would be produced by Francesco laying in the broad areas of paint over Jacopo's design, and Jacopo returning to bring much of that surface to completion with the final glazes and details, both artists signing the finished picture. In the case of the present composition, the first treatment is presumably that in the Galeria Doria Pamphilj, Rome, signed 'JAC.S ET FRANC.S FILIUS P.'. The present picture is a version painted probably by Francesco alone, presumably before his departure for Venice in 1578. SALESROOM NOTICE Please note that on the basis of a black and white photograph, Professor Alessandro Ballarin suggests that this is a work of the studio of the Bassano.