Ford Madox Brown, 1821-1893
ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW, c. 1864
Watercolour, heighted with bodycolour and gum Arabic
40 by 26cm., 16 by 10in.
Private collection
The shadow on the wall projected by a bird returning to its nest, typifies the return of the soul to the body. The Hebrew writing over the door consists of the verses of Deut. Probably their dwelling in tents gave rise to the habit of writing the words instead on parchment placed in a case. The widow is supposed to have resumed her household duties, little expecting the result of the Prophet's vigil with her dead child. More on this painting
Elijah was a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC).
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath: ...God told Elijah to go to the town of Sarepta and to seek out a widow that would find him water and food. Elijah learns that the widow has a son and between them they only have enough flour and oil for one more meal before they die. Despite this the widow helps Elijah. Because she did this God caused the flour and the oil never to run out.
After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to be to bring my sin and remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"
Elijah takes the son up to his bedroom where he prays to God asking for his help.
The Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. He then takes the child downstairs again and presents him, living, to his mother. More on Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
Ford Madox Brown, (born April 16, 1821, Calais,
France—died October 6, 1893, London, England), English painter whose
work is associated with that of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, although he was
never a member.
Brown studied art from
1837 to 1839 in Bruges and Antwerp, Belgium. His early work is characterized by
sombre colour and dramatic feeling suited to the Byronic subjects that he
painted in Paris during 1840–43. Already concerned with the accurate representation
of natural phenomena, he drew from corpses in University College Hospital in
London when painting his Prisoner of Chillon (1843). During a visit to Italy in
1845, he met Peter von Cornelius, a member of the former Lukasbund, or
Nazarenes. This meeting undoubtedly influenced both Brown’s palette and his
style. His interest in brilliant, clear colour and neomedievalism first appears
in Wyclif Reading His Translation of the Scriptures to John of Gaunt (1847). In
1848 Brown briefly accepted Dante Gabriel Rossetti as a pupil, and in 1850
Brown contributed to the Pre-Raphaelites’ magazine, Germ. Like William Holman
Hunt, Brown painted in the open air to obtain naturalistic accuracy.
His
most famous picture, Work (1852–63), which can be seen as a Victorian social
document, was first exhibited at a retrospective exhibition held in London
(1865), for which he wrote the catalog. He also worked as a book illustrator
with William Morris; produced stained glass, at, among other sites, St.
Oswald’s, Durham (1864–65); and between 1879 and 1893 completed a series of 12
murals for the Manchester town hall, depicting scenes from the city’s history. More on Ford Madox Brown
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