Guercino, 'Elijah fed by Ravens', 1620

Elijah fed by Ravens

Guercino

Room 32

About the work

Overview

The monumental figure in this painting is Elijah, an Old Testament prophet who lived in Israel in the ninth century BC. Having predicted that a terrible drought would ravage the land, Elijah was instructed by God to hide by the stream Cherith. Here, ravens delivered bread and meat to him every morning and evening.

While Elijah’s story embodies piety, Guercino’s representation is profoundly human. The prophet sits awkwardly, his aged face turned expectantly toward the birds above him; they represent both physical and spiritual nourishment as Elijah places his faith in God’s commands. A bowl lies empty at his feet and his clothing is torn at the shoulder – reminders of his hunger and hardship in the wilderness.

This is one of two paintings Guercino made in 1620 for the papal legate of Ferrara, Cardinal Jacopo Serra, an early and enthusiastic patron of the artist.

In-depth

The monumental figure in this painting is Elijah, an Old Testament prophet who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel in the ninth century BC. Having predicted that a terrible drought would ravage the land, Elijah was instructed by God to hide on the banks of the stream Cherith. Here, ravens delivered bread and meat to him every morning and evening. The over life-size form of Elijah dominates the scene, filling almost the entire picture space. This has the effect of bringing him closer to the viewer, and his massive form towers over us.

While Elijah’s story embodies piety, Guercino’s representation is profoundly human. The prophet sits awkwardly, his right leg jutting out from beneath his cloak and his body twisting as he turns his aged face expectantly toward the ravens. He clasps his cloak out in front of him, preparing to catch the food brought by the birds – they represent both physical and spiritual nourishment as Elijah places his faith in God’s commands. A bowl lies empty at the prophet’s feet and his clothing is torn at the shoulder, reminding us of his hunger and hardship in the wilderness. His isolation is underlined by the inclusion of two small figures walking away in the distance.

Guercino has explored textures and contrasted lighting in this painting. The still, reflective surface of the Cherith stream is visible on the left. Its water runs alongside the cold stone on which Elijah rests his weathered feet, and laps close to the paper scroll lower right. Elijah’s fluffy grey beard and cloth lined with animal hair contrast with the heavy swathes of drapery cascading over his lap. The form of Elijah’s body can be sensed beneath the fabric – although we cannot see his left leg or torso, we have a good idea of how his body is angled and posed.

The strong directional light used to cut across the form and the subdued colour palette are both typical of Guercino’s early painting style. Although he was largely self-taught, Guercino’s style was inspired by the artistic centres of Ferrara and Bologna, close to his native Cento. He was particularly influenced by the prominent Bolognese artist Ludovico Carracci. Ludovico advocated the close study of nature, as demonstrated in Guercino’s treatment of Elijah in this painting. The inclusion of the landscape in the background of this picture is typically Bolognese.

This picture is one of a number of works Guercino made for the papal legate of Ferrara, Cardinal Jacopo Serra (1570–1623), an early and enthusiastic patron of the artist. It was painted in 1620, before Guercino travelled to Rome. By 1655 the painting had been acquired by the powerful Barberini family in Rome and, remarkably, it still retains its Barberini frame.

Key facts

Details

Full title: Elijah fed by Ravens
Artist: Guercino
Artist dates: 1591 - 1666
Date made: 1620
Medium and support: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 195 × 156.5 cm
Acquisition credit: Bought, 2009
Inventory number: NG6612
Location: Room 32
Collection: Main Collection
Frame: 19th-century Replica Frame

Provenance

Painted in 1620 for Cardinal Jacopo Serra, Ferrara; Don Maffeo Barberini by 1655; listed in the Barberini inventories of about 1680 and 1686, described as ‘Saint Paul the Hermit’; the Barberini entailed estate was divided in 1812 and the painting was assigned to the Principi di Palestrina branch of the family; by descent to Principessa Donna Maria Barberini; from whom acquired by Denis Mahon in 1936; bought 1987–2009.

Additional information

Text extracted from the National Gallery’s Annual Report, ‘The National Gallery: Review of the Year, April 2009 – March 2010’.

Bibliography

1678

C.C. Malvasia, Felsina pittrice: Vite de' pittori bolognesi, Bologna 1678
1830

E. Platner et al., Beschreibung der Stadt Rom, 3 vols, Stuttgart-Tübingen 1830
1841

C.C. Malvasia, Felsina pittrice: Vite de' pittori bolognesi del conte Carlo Cesare Malvasia, ed. G.P. Zanotti, Bologna 1841
1843

J. Donovan, Rome, Ancient and Modern, Rome 1843
1922

H. Voss, 'Guercino', in U. Thieme and F. Becker (eds), Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, Leipzig 1922
1938

Catalogue of the Exhibition of 17th Century Art in Europe, London 1938
1947

D. Mahon, Studies in Seicento Art and Theory, London 1947
1953

G. Briganti, 'The Mahon Collection of Seicento Paintings', The Connoisseur, CXXXII, 1953, pp. 4-18
1955

E.K. Waterhouse, Exhibition of Italian Art from the 13th Century to the 17th Century (exh. cat. Birmingham CMuseum and Art Gallery, 18 August - 2nd October 1955), Birmingham 1955
1958

R. Wittkower, Art and Architecture in Italy 1600-1750, Harmondsworth 1958
1960

E.K. Waterhouse et al., Italian Art and Britain (exh. cat. Royal Academy of Arts, Winter 1960), London 1960
1963

B. Nicolson, 'Denis Mahon', in D. Cooper (ed.), Great Private Collections, London 1963, pp. 116-25
1968

D. Mahon, Il Guercino: Catalogo critico dei dipinti (exh. cat. Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, 1 September - 18 November 1968), Bologna 1968
1971

F. Vivian, 'Guercino as N from the Archivio Barberini', The Burlington Magazine, CXXIII/814, 1971, pp. 22-9
1975

M.A. Lavin, Seventeenth-Century Barberini Documents and Inventories of Art, New York 1975
1981

D. Mahon, 'Guercino and Cardinal Serra: A Newly Discovered Masterpiece', Apollo, CXIV, 1981, pp. 170-5
1986

M. Aspinwall et al., The Age of Correggio and the Carracci: Emilian Painting of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 19 December 1986 - 16 February 1987; Pinacoteca Nazionale, 10 September - 11 November 1986; Metropolitan Museum of Art, 26 March 26 - 24 May 1987), Washington 1986
1988

L. Salerno, I dipinti del Guercino, Rome 1988
1991

D.M. Stone, Guercino: Catalogo completo dei dipinti, Florence 1991
1991

W.M. Griswold, 'Guercino', Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XLVIII/4, 1991, pp. 1-56
1991

S. Ebert-Schifferer (ed.), Il Guercino (exh. cat. Schirn Kunsthalle, 3 December 1991 - 9 February 1992), Frankfurt 1991
1991

M. Helston et al., Guercino in Britain: Paintings from British Collections (exh. cat. The National Gallery, 28 June - 31 July 1991), London 1991
1991

D. Mahon, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, Il Guercino, 1591-1666 (exh. cat. Museo civico archeologico, 6 July - 10 November 1991; Schirn Kunsthalle, 2 December 1991 - 9 February 1992; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 15 March - 17 May 1992), Bologna 1991
1997

G. Finaldi et al., Discovering the Baroque: The Denis Mahon Collection (exh. cat. The National Gallery, 26 February - 18 May 1997), London 1997
1999

S. Perlove, 'Power and Religious Authority in Papal Ferrara: Cardinal Serra and Guercino', Konsthistorisk Tidskrift, LXVII/1, 1999, pp. 19-30
2001

C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
2004

D. Mahon et al., Guercino: Poesia e sentimento nella pittura del'600 (exh. cat. Palazzo Reale (Milan), 27 September 2003 - 18 January 2004), Milan 2004
2005

N. Turner, 'An Unpublished Drawing by Guercino for Elijah in the Desert Fed by Ravens', Master Drawings, XLIII/4, 2005, pp. 508-11
2005

M. Pulini, Nel segno di Guercino: Disegni dalle collezioni Mahon, Oxford e Cento (exh. cat. Pinacoteca Civica, 28 May - 31 July 2005; Ashmolean Museum, 2 November 2005 - 16 January 2006), Cento 2005
2010

National Gallery, The National Gallery: Review of the Year, April 2009 - March 2010, London 2010

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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You've viewed 6 of 8 works

Guercino, 'Elijah fed by Ravens', 1620

About the work

Overview

In-depth

Key facts

Details

Provenance

Additional information

Source

Bibliography

About this record

Images

More works by Guercino