And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in they sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. (Luke 15: 20-24, KJV)
The Return of the Prodigal Son has always been a popular subject for religious artists, supremely rendered by Rembrandt in a way that has set a standard for later illustrations of the story. Ukrainian Printmaker Sergey Kirnitskiy follows the Dutch Master in this week's featured bookplate by depicting the moment of reconciliation, as if we are looking over the shoulder of the kneeling wayward son, focusing our attention on the careworn and infinitely caring face of the welcoming father. The vengeful-minded elder brother is also in our field of vision, seething with anger at this display of boundless compassion. A novelty in Kirnitskiy's version of the parable, now on view on the East European Ex Libris page in the Schools of Sacred Art section, is the inclusion of two angels gleefully blowing their horns, reminding us of Christ's saying that "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner than repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentence. (Luke 15:7, KJV)" (John Kohan)