Workshop of the Master of Prodigal Son, 16th century.

Workshop of the MASTER OF THE PRODIGAL SON (Flanders, active ca.1530 - ca.1560), second third of the 16th century.
"Christ supported by the Virgin and Saint John,
Oil on oak panel.
16th century frame.
Size: 106 x 66 cm; 116.5 x 76 cm (frame).
The Master of the Prodigal Son was the name agreed upon by historians to refer to a Flemish painter and tapestry and stained glass designer who had an important workshop in Antwerp between 1530 and 1560. He painted religious subjects, landscapes, genre scenes and allegories. He is considered one of the leading masters of 16th-century Flemish Mannerism. The present Flemish painting, which is of notable quality, displays elements typical of the workshop of the Master of the Prodigal Son, such as the exquisiteness of the palette, with its bright, smooth colours, as well as the compositional symmetry and stylisation of the bodies. The predominance of line does not detract from the modelling. The lifeless body of Christ is supported by the Virgin and Saint John, who flank him, with the Holy Spirit occupying the golden break of glory. Heavenly light seems to emerge from within Christ's marble flesh-toned body. The draped cloth is deftly folded over his legs. John and Mary's features convey the utmost tenderness and their sorrowful eyes gleam against the fair skins with a beautiful brown glow.
The Master of the Prodigal Son was named after the work "The Prodigal Son at a Gallant Feast" (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) and has been successively identified with Jan Mandijn, Anthonis de Palermo and Lenaert Kroes. Other paintings have been grouped around his eponymous work: a Pieta (National Gallery, London), Virtue Rewarding Ardor and Punishing Sloth (private collection) and Satan Sowing the Tares (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp). The colours of his paintings are dominated by various shades of red, green and yellow. The figures are slender and their disproportionately large hands stand out. His work shows the influence of the leading painters working in Antwerp in the mid-16th century. The accentuated realism of some of the figures in his work is closely related to Pieter Aertsen. A certain mannerism in his work brings him closer to that of Jan Mandijn and Frans Floris, as well as to the School of Fontainebleau. This aspect is most evident in his compositions with large figures, such as Lot and his Daughters (Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp), in which the figures have a sculptural character. The colour of the skin is light and, in the female figures, has the sheen of marble. The bearded figures, on the other hand, are closer to the work of Frans Floris and Pieter Coecke van Aelst.