Elijah fed by the ravens

Roelant Saverij (1578 - 1639). Elijah fed by the ravens, 1634. This woodland scene inhabited by animals depicts a story from the Old Testament. Elijah withdrew from the world and lived the life of a hermit, surviving on bread brought to him by ravens. At centre right we see Elijah; the ravens are more difficult to distinguish. Roelant Saverij came from Flanders, the cradle of landscape art. He was a court painter in Prague and from 1618 on was active in Utrecht. Painted on copper. Purchased in 1885.