Rare watercolor drawing: The Prodigal Son, Friedrich Krebs (1749-1815) Probably Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, circa 1805

Watercolor and ink on pieced paper

Inscribed (translated from German) recto, ink: [1] The prodigal son departs from his father. Luke 15./Since he has no more money, he was very ______ embarrassed; [2]I will get up and go to my father and say / Father, I have sinned against heaven and you.

Sotheby Parke-Bernet, January 26-28, 1989, lot 1009

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 244, figs. 216A-B

Old repairs along the horizontal mid-line. Repaired tears at the edges.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The work of Friedrich Krebs forms a chapter all its own in Pennsylvania German studies. A Prussian soldier who remained after the Revolutionary War, as did many others, Krebs eventually settled near Harrisburg and taught there and nearby in Lutheran parochial schools. He clearly was a seminal figure in stimulating the popularity of Taufscheine in his culture-he made hand-drawn examples and filled in printed forms by the hundreds. Both the accounts of his printer in Reading and his estate inventory cite large numbers' of them.1 Yet they were produced with such haste that they are rarely fine works of art. At the same time, he made a series of occasional pieces that constitute a remarkable window on Pennsylvania German life. His subjects include a squabbling man and woman, several Turks, a tale from Grimm's Marchen, a slightly naughty scene of a man without pants, small Bible texts and pictures, a large clock, the crucifixion of Christ, and many times, in two or four scenes, the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Travelers encountered broadside engravings of the story in many Pennsylvania German homes and noted that fathers used the tale to set their sons wise to the realities of life. This may explain the enduring popularity of the subject. -F.S.W.