Accession No. HRL.2018.0009: Purchased, 2018 April
[identification of item], Prophet Elijah in the Desert Icon, SPEC.HRL.0002, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Casey Blackmore, 2024, January; Finding aid written by: Casey Blackmore, 2024, January.
The Prophet Elijah in the Desert Icon is inspired by an episode from the Old Testament wherein the prophet Elijah has fled from Jezebel who is determined to kill him. In Russia, Elijah was also seen as the saint of thunder, rain and good weather, as well as the defender and guide to the souls of mankind in the afterlife.
Pimen Maksimovich Sofronov (1898-1973) was an Orthodox Christian iconographer who also taught the art of iconography. He began studying iconography at the age of 12 with Gavril Efimovich Frolov in his hometown in the Estonian region of the then-Russian Empire.
The Prophet Elijah in the Desert Icon is a medium size icon that depicts the prophet Elijah as he fled to the desert after threats from Jezebel to kill him. A raven sent from God is depicted in the upper right hand corner bringing food to Elijah. The front of the icon has the title "Saint [or Holy] Prophet Elijah" in Church Slavonic in red cyrillic letters. The back of the icon has the artist's initials in the Latin alphabet: a red S with a P nestled in the first curve of the S.
The icon was painted by Pimen Maksimovich Sofronov (1898-1973) who was an Orthodox Christian iconographer who also taught the art of iconography.