Georg Balthasar Probst (1732–1801) - De verloren zoon als varkenshoeder – 18e-eeuwse handgekleurde opticaprent

Original 18th-century hand-coloured optical print (vue d’optique / Guckkastenbild) by the German engraver and publisher Georg Balthasar Probst (1732–1801) from Augsburg. A copy of the same composition is among others preserved in Museum De Lakenhal, which attributes the work to Probst.

The print bears the title in four languages:

“Filius deperditus Subulcus”
“The prodigal son porcher”
“It figliuolo prodigo porcaro”
“Der verlohrne Sohn ein Schweinhirt”

The scene depicts an episode from the Biblical parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). After wasting his inheritance, the prodigal son has fallen into poverty and must work as a pig herder.

In the foreground we see him among the pigs, simply dressed and with a staff. On the right stands a man elegantly dressed. Behind him unfolds a richly imaginative landscape with farmhouses, fields, a river with a stone bridge, figures and animals, jagged rock formations and castles in the mountains.

The strong perspective and the large amount of detail are characteristic of the popular vue d’optique or Guckkastenbild from the 18th century. Such prints were designed to be viewed directly or with the help of an optical viewing cabinet and were produced in large numbers for an international market.

The print is hand-coloured. In particular the red, green, blue and ochre hues are still beautifully present and emphasise the clothing, buildings, vegetation and the landscape.

This scene was part of a series of prints about the history of the prodigal son. Similar museum and institutional copies are described as etching/engraving with hand-colouring and dated to the mid to second half of the 18th century.

Artist/publisher: Georg Balthasar Probst (1732–1801)
Title: Filius deperditus Subulcus / L’enfant prodigue porcher / Il figliuolo prodigo porcaro / Der verlohrne Sohn ein Schweinhirt
Period: 18th century
Origin: Augsburg, Germany
Style/type: Vue d’optique / Guckkastenbild
Technique: etching/engraving with hand-colouring
Support: paper
Subject: Biblical scene – The prodigal son as pig herder
Print dimensions: ca. 44 × 31 cm
Dimensions including frame: ca. 50.5 × 40.5 cm
Framed: yes, behind glass

The print is in good condition considering its considerable age. The paper shows age-related discoloration, light staining, creases and signs of use. At the top edge there is an old handwritten annotation. The original hand-colouring remains strikingly clear and lends the scene a particularly decorative character.

The print is professionally framed behind glass in a modern dark reddish-brown frame with a dark mat. The rear is sealed. The print has not been removed from the frame, and the non-visible parts could not be inspected.

A particularly decorative and characteristic example of the 18th-century European optical print, with a lively Biblical scene, fine historical hand-colouring and a rich perspectival landscape composition.

The photographs form an integral part of the description.

Carefully packed for dispatch.