Description
The Prophet Elisha was painted by Pietro Lorenzetti around 1329 for the Carmine altarpiece in Siena. The prophet stands beneath a pointed arch, wearing the dark habit and ample white mantle of the Carmelite order. He holds a scroll containing biblical words about Elijah’s ascent to heaven. His bearded face, carefully modeled drapery and gilded background produce an image that is solemn yet distinctly human. The painting is especially notable for its nuanced whites.
The panel formed part of a program linking the Carmelites’ spiritual origins to the Hebrew Bible. Together with Saint John the Baptist, it flanked the altarpiece’s central image of the Virgin and Child. Now in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Elisha remains a powerful example of Lorenzetti’s blend of devotional symbolism and physical observation.
