This engraving was originally done by Albrecht Durer in the late 1400's, titled "The Prodigal Son Among the Pigs", and this is a later copy on wove paper, with no watermarks. We took the engraving to a wonderful bookbinder and paper conservator (Frank Mowery in Venice, Florida) and he confirmed this was a later copy, probably from around 1770. He said the margins were too large for the late 1400's, the original engraving was on laid paper, and the original had a high crown watermark that Durer used from 1495 until his death in 1528.Durer (1471 - 1528) was a German painter and printmaker of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, he established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to the high quality of his woodcut prints. He was in contact with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Bellini, and Leonardo da Vinci, and from 1512 Durer worked under the patronage of Emperor Maximilian I. His vast body of work includes engravings, altarpieces, portraits and self-portraits, watercolours and books, he introduced classical motifs into the art of Northern Germany, and his reputation was so well established that he was considered one of the most important figures of the Renaissance. The engraving tells the tale of the prodigal son, a young profligate who claims his inheritance, squanders his fortune in taverns and brothels, and winds up penniless amid the swine. Upon returning home, he is full of repentance, his father welcomes him with open arms. The prodigal son personifies the prideful sinner who spurns God and upon seeing the error of his ways is received with boundless mercy. You can see the son kneeling on a pile of manure, surrounded by pigs, where he finally comes to his senses, and the tale is tied to the gospel of Luke (Luke 15:17). The engraving is signed with Durer's familiar initials at the bottom of the engraving - AD - underneath the water trough for the pigs, and it is a compelling tale of a son who lost his way and returned home to find his father and God waiting with open arms. The outer margins of the engraving measure 13 7/8 x 10 7/8 in. wide and the image itself measures 9 3/4 x 7 1/2 in. wide, it is unframed and in pretty good condition. There are small tears in the left margin and at the top edge of the engraving (not in the plate), with a couple of small round dents and a few faint brown spots in the margins, but overall an attractive piece with a moral that transcends the ages. #5103