The Prodigal Son, Pennsylvania State Capitol

From Capitol Preservation Committee:

“Sculptor and artist George Grey Barnard was commissioned by architect Joseph Huston to create the large statuary groups at the Pennsylvania State Capitol’s main westerly entrance. Barnard envisioned an intricate theme for each of the statue groups, with each individual figure having symbolic meaning intertwining within the whole of the work….

Together, the north and south groups represent what Barnard allocated as the two classes of humanity: those who follow the laws of Nature and those who do not. He further explained this concept by terming the north group ‘The Unbroken Law’ as those who find prosperity through labor, love, and fraternity by choosing what is good and right. Conversely, the south group, or ‘The Broken Law’ represents those who have rejected the laws of God and Nature, and in turn suffer despair and sorrow. For example, the biblical figures of Adam and Eve are found on both the north and south groups, each reaching heights of nine and half feet tall. On the north group the couple is found in an embrace of unity while on the south group, after experiencing the ‘fall of man,’ they are shown apart with hands uplifted in anguish.”

In the North Group, facing South, you will identify the Prodigal Son. A replica of the Prodigal Son is found at the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; and at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.