This is an alabaster relief made in the second half of the 16th century in the South Netherlands. The relief represents the Parable of the Prodigal Son in several distinct actions. The background is architectural and partly gilt.
Alabaster, a fine grained form of gypsum, is a smooth marble-like stone that was popular for the carving of religious sculpture. Softer than marble, it was much easier to carve and also considerably cheaper.

The southern Netherlands were an important centre for the production of alabaster sculpture during the 15th century, and while not producing the numbers that the English alabaster workshops turned out, they certainly exceeded their English counterparts in quality of craftsmanship. The English alabaster-carvers dominated the lower end of the market, catering for patrons right across Europe who could not afford to spend very much but were eager to furnish their parish churches and homes with religious imagery. The Netherlandish workshops, by contrast, produced fewer but many times more carefully finished alabaster sculptures, which were also considerably more expensive to buy.