Italian School

Italian School
18th Century
Elijah Fed by a Raven
Oil on canvas
24 x 29 1/2 inches (61 x 75 cm)
According to 1 Kings 17: 2-5, God commanded the prophet Elijah to escape the anger of King Ahab of Israel by fleeing to the ravine of Kerith, east of the Jordan. There he drank from the stream and was fed by ravens every morning and evening. This subject, common in Byzantine art but unusual in Italian painting, was considered by 17th century theologians as a prefiguraton of the Sacrament of Communion.

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