This icon depicts the Old Testament Prophet Elijah ascending to heaven in a fiery chariot as described in 2 Kings 2:11-13. Against a gold leaf sky above, Elijah rides a fiery chariot powered by four red stallions driven by an angel of the Lord. As he departs he drops his mantle to his successor, Elisha. Like most icons of Elijah they include important events from his life. At center Elijah divides the Jordan River by striking it with his mantle. At lower left he is fed in the wilderness by an angel (I Kings 19:5-8), and at mid left he is fed by a raven by the Brook of Cherith (I Kings 17:4-6). In the upper left corner is God the Father awaiting the arrival of Elijah. On the left border is the Guardian Angel and on the right border is the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonika. Elijah was very important to the Russian peasants because he was believed to control storms and lightning. Thunder was caused by the wheels of his fiery chariot as it rolled across the cloudy skies. The exceptional quality of painting and distinctive pallet would suggest the painter of the icon was trained in Palekh. This icon also clearly illustrates the strong influence that the Stroganov School had on Palekh painters. The gold inscription along the top border identifies the subject as Ognennoe Voskhozdenie Svatuiy Iliy Proroka (The Fiery Ascension of the Holy Prophet Elijah).
previous
next