The Return of the Prodigal Son is a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. He painted it in about 1668. It belongs to the collection of the Hermitage in St Petersburg. In this painting, Rembrandt depicts the parable of the prodigal son from the New Testament. We see a kneeling young man being embraced by an older man, his father. On the right, three men are depicted looking on in silence. The standing man on the right is the brother of the prodigal son. Like Rembrandt's other works, this painting is very dark. A striking feature of the painting is the father's hands: one hand looks like a powerful father's hand, pressing the son firmly against him. The other is more like a woman's hand, welcoming the son rather lovingly and caringly. The Hermitage gives circa 1668 as the year of its creation, when it was exhibited at the Late Rembrandt exhibition in 2015, circa 1666-1669 was held there.
