Portrait of the Son

A lovely work of Christian allegory for young readers

A rich and good man who collects the world’s art treasures has one son.  Like his father, the son delights in sharing his riches with all people, especially the poorest among them.  But when the son is called to war, he dies rescuing other soldiers, and his father sorely grieves.

Yet this is not the end.  When one of the son’s wounded comrades visits the father, he brings along a crude but expressive portrait of the son, depicting the young man with his wartime wounds.  The father is delighted, and returns to his charitable works.  Years later, the father decides to sell his collection at auction, and the elitist snobs of the art world are shocked by the identity of the winning bidder.

Artist Ted Schluenderfritz includes much Christian iconography in his artwork, and the muted tones perfectly suit the story’s dreamlike quality.

An excellent story for Lent and Easter without a colored egg or Easter Bunny in sight.