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Source Description
This icon depicts scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah, an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At the lower left is an illustration of 1 Kings 19:4-8, in which Elijah, discouraged by a death threat from Jezebel and the seeming failure of all his efforts, goes out into the wilderness, lies beneath a juniper tree, and prays for death. Instead, an angel comes to him in a dream and bids him eat, and when he awakes he finds bread and a cup of water. The story continues on at the upper left: Elijah then journeys forty days through the desert to a mountain cave, where he again prays for death, though he is granted only further assignments from God, who speaks to Elijah in "a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:9-18). On the right side of the icon is depicted "Elijah's Fiery Ascension." At the bottom, Elijah strikes the river of Jordan with his mantle, parting it so that he and his disciple Elisha (identified by his bald head) can cross between its parted waters (2 Kings 2:8). Above, Elijah is carried off in a whirlwind by chariots and horses of fire while an angel takes his cloak and drops it to Elisha (2 Kings 2:11-13). Another angel gestures to heaven, at the upper left, where God's hand and the end of his shirtsleeve are visible emerging from a radiant glow.A copper gilt cover, stored separately, accompanies the painted image. The icon is a good imitation of the style of the 16th century, though its state of preservation reveals that it was actually painted much later.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
28277
label
Prophet Elijah's Fiery Ascension
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
28277
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Prophet Elijah's Fiery Ascension
description
This icon depicts scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah, an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At the lower left is an illustration of 1 Kings 19:4-8, in which Elijah, discouraged by a death threat from Jezebel and the seeming failure of all his efforts, goes out into the wilderness, lies beneath a juniper tree, and prays for death. Instead, an angel comes to him in a dream and bids him eat, and when he awakes he finds bread and a cup of water. The story continues on at the upper left: Elijah then journeys forty days through the desert to a mountain cave, where he again prays for death, though he is granted only further assignments from God, who speaks to Elijah in "a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:9-18). On the right side of the icon is depicted "Elijah's Fiery Ascension." At the bottom, Elijah strikes the river of Jordan with his mantle, parting it so that he and his disciple Elisha (identified by his bald head) can cross between its parted waters (2 Kings 2:8). Above, Elijah is carried off in a whirlwind by chariots and horses of fire while an angel takes his cloak and drops it to Elisha (2 Kings 2:11-13). Another angel gestures to heaven, at the upper left, where God's hand and the end of his shirtsleeve are visible emerging from a radiant glow.A copper gilt cover, stored separately, accompanies the painted image. The icon is a good imitation of the style of the 16th century, though its state of preservation reveals that it was actually painted much later.
provenance
Ilya Metchnikoff (1906-1991), New York, 1950 (?), by purchase; Eleanor Metchnikoff (1909-2001), Annapolis, Maryland, 1991, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1996, by gift.
date
late 19th century (Modern)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
icons
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
30.5
height
26.2
dimensionsRaw
12 x 10 5/16 in. (30.5 x 26.2 cm)
Source extras
cul
Russian
dynasty
House of Romanov
med
tempera on panel
creator_ids
6214
collection_ids
BYZ
exhibition_ids
246
2752
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3472d7e41ac7d3f7