Two canvases inspired by themes from the Old Testament date from 1907. To create it, Julio Romero uses a technique that imitates the appearance of tapestries by painting in oil directly on an unprepared burlap or thick weft fabric. This technique became very popular in the first two decades of the 20th century for religious themes. The influences of fin de siècle symbolism and classicist aesthetics are evident, and echoes of the murals made by Puvis de Chavannes in the church of Saint Genevieve in Paris can be seen in them. Likewise, both are a copy with minor modifications of Gustave Doré’s engravings for an 1865 edition of the Bible.

This canvas represents the moment of the return of the repentant prodigal son, just before the meeting with the father, a scene that is narrated in the book of Luke, 15, 17-19.