14 - Jan Peeter VERDUSSEN (Antwerp, 1700 – Avignon, 1763)

Jan Peeter VERDUSSEN (Antwerp, 1700 – Avignon, 1763) The Parable of the Prodigal Son Series of eight paintings On their original canvases 37.2 x 47.2 cm Minor losses and damage Signed lower right “JP Verdussen”; one is signed on the left—“The Prodigal Son Tending the Flock.” Set in molded and gilded fir wood frames, 18th-century Provençal craftsmanship. Jan Peeter was trained by his father, Pieter Verdussen (1662–after 1710), in the Flemish tradition of battle and landscape painting. He was also inspired by Philips Wouwerman and Frans van der Meulen. He left his hometown of Antwerp, summoned to Turin between 1743 and 1746 by Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy to glorify the military exploits of the ducal house. He then spent time in the south of France, where he built up a clientele consisting mainly of the local nobility. Verdussen submitted his admission piece to the Marseille Academy in 1759, a Cavalry Charge (Marseille, Museum of Fine Arts). He then settled in Avignon. Although he was primarily a battle painter, he strayed from this genre on several occasions, painting hunting feasts, animated landscapes, and a few series such as The Four Seasons, The Twelve Months of the Year, and the twelve engravings of Horses and Landscapes. With their subject matter drawn from the Gospel of Saint Luke, these paintings appear to be unique in Verdussen’s oeuvre and demonstrate his ambition as a history painter. He did not hesitate to dress the figures in contemporary costumes, as Hogarth had previously done to modernize biblical subjects. Here, Verdussen demonstrates his skill as a painter of horses, landscapes, gardens, and outdoor festivals and banquets. He even depicts one of the episodes as a moonlit night scene. The scenes depicted, following the sequence of the narrative, are, in order: - The son’s request to his father for his share of the inheritance - His departure from the family home - A life of debauchery and frivolous pleasures - His expulsion from the brothel - The prodigal son tending the flock - His realization and decision to return - Preparations for the homecoming feast - His return and the father’s merciful welcome.