17 The small roundels from the Khanenko Collection and the Museum Schnütgen, decorated only with drawing in vitreous paint, silver stain and iron-red, depict three scenes from the parable of the prodigal son, which Jesus tells to the Pharisees to explain the infinite mercy of God (Luke 15:11–32). These roundels, however, come from three different series of such stained-glass cycles, which became increasingly popular from 1500 onwards, especially in the Netherlands and on the Lower Rhine. The series of narrative roundels, some of which were very extensive, depicted the life and work of Jesus, Mary and the apostles, legends of the saints and stories from the Old Testament, as well as symbolic images, ancient legends and proverbs. The use of stained glass was equally varied: from refectories, chapter houses, hospitals or cloisters in religious buildings, to public rooms in guild, council or merchant houses, to private use in residential buildings. Numerous artists, mainly from Flanders and Brabant – such as Hugo van der Goes, Lucas van Leyden, Jan Gossaert and Pieter Cornelisƶ – were responsible for the design and execution of such roundels, and some series were even repeated several times for different clients. The roundel from Cologne depicting the return of the prodigal son bears an inscription with the names of a Cologne patrician, Jan van Hasselt and his wife, the date of manufacture, 1532, and the donor’s house mark. The presence of another eight roundels with identical framing (formerly in the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum) suggests that they may all have been part of a very elaborate cycle, probably intended for the home of this successful merchant and alderman in Cologne. The provenance and dating of the two Kyiv roundels, which come from different series, are much more difficult to determine due to the lack of specific artist’s or patron’s marks. Blurred images of two consecutive lots in a 1912 Amsterdam auction catalogue may be the last trace in the European art trade before they were acquired by the Khanenkos. Müller 1912, no. 1391. – Лукомський 1921, 53. ‒ Lymant 1982, 232–236. – Berserik/Caen 2007, VIII. – Berserik/Caen 2014, 224–225. Elena Kosina Scenes from the Parable of the Prodigal Son 1. The Prodigal Son Asks a Farmer for Work Stained glass, frame 51 x 33.5 cm, roundel Ø 22 cm Flanders, 2nd quarter 16th cent. Kyiv, Khanenko Museum, inv. 134 БР МХ 2. The Prodigal Son Tends the Swine Stained glass, frame 51 x 33,5 cm, roundel Ø 19,8 cm Flanders, 2nd quarter 16th cent. Kyiv, Khanenko Museum, inv. 133 БP МХ 3. The Return of the Prodigal Son Cologne, after Pieter Cornelisƶ, 1532 Stained glass, roundel Ø 26,9 cm Cologne, Museum Schnütgen, inv. M 670 The Prodigal Son Asks a Farmer for Work 82
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