0637 The Ascent of Elijah

Melchite.
Late 17th cent. 30.5x23x1.5 cms.

Although the Melchite Church has a number of roots, Syrian Christians are known as Melchite.

This icon has none of the ornate decoration of the works emanating from 17th cent. Aleppo.  However with its Arabic script, realistic oval shaped-faces with prominent foreheads and hands painted on a board shaped by a rubanok whose characteristic planing pattern can be seen on the reverse of the board all suggest a late 7th cent. attribution.

The subject shows Elijah ascending into Heaven in a fiery chariot pulled by three horses. He passes his cloak to his acolyte Isaiah nominating him as his successor. As he is carried upwards he brandishes a scroll with a text from 1 Kings19:10 “I have been very zealous for the lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword. I alone remain and they are trying to kill me too”. [N,I,V.].

Since acquisition from a private U.S. collector, the icon has been cleaned and elements of paint loss around the prophet’s face and cloak and one of the horses has been restored.