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It is assumed that the painting represents the Prodigal Son. The traditional title "Yonker Ramp and his Sweetheart" dates from the eighteenth century and is based upon a mistaken identification with Pieter Ramp, who appears in a group portrait of about 1627 by Hals. (Yonker is an English rendering of Jonker, or Jonkheer, which means Young Gentleman.)
This painting has been connected to a print serving as an illustration on the title page of Willem Dircksz Hooft's play Heden-daeghsche Verlooren Soon (The Contemporary Prodigal Son) which was performed in Amsterdam on February 3, 1630, and published the same year.
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