James Jacques Joseph Tissot
The Frontispiece from The Prodigal Son Suite, by J.J. Tissot
1882

Name: The Frontispiece from The Prodigal Son Suite, by J.J. Tissot
Brand: James Jacques Joseph Tissot
Price: 4950 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

TISSOT, JAMES JACQUES JOSEPH (1836 -1902) L’enfant Prodigue: Frontispice (The Prodigal Son: Frontispiece) Wentworth 57 Etching, c. 1882 Signed and dated in the plate lower rightImage size: 12 ¼” x 14 ¾” Second State, from the edition of 400 with letters Rich early impression In 1882, his last year in England, Tissot held a one-man exhibition at the Dudley Gallery, the lavishness of which indicated the prominence and wealth he had achieved. The centerpiece of the exhibition was his series of paintings of The Prodigal Son of Modern Life (Musee des Beaux-Arts, Nantes), from which these prints were derived. The theme of the prodigal son was clearly important to Tissot, and speculation on his motivations in choosing it is tempting. In 1881, as a Roman Catholic living in sin with a divorced woman, Tissot would not have been able to partake of the sacraments and perhaps had occasional crises of conscience. This parable, with its implicit message of divine grace for those who may stray from God, may have comforted him with the thought that he too would be forgiven should he return to the “father”. Tissot may also have considered himself a “Prodigal Son” in the French world and hoping to be received with forgiveness, used these works to good advantage in reestablishing his career there. Tissot met the challenge of unifying the series through subtle compositional strategies. Each image contains a backdrop of water, in three cases clearly the Thames, and each has an architectural framework angled toward the rear left of the space. He presented and dedicated this particular set of impressions to the famous French printer, Delâtre, which suggests that he believed they were of superior quality.

Creator:

James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902, French)

Creation Year:

1882

Dimensions:

Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 33 in (83.82 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)

More Editions & Sizes:

Second State from an edition of 400Price: $4,950

Medium:

Etching

Movement & Style:

Art Nouveau