Prophet Elijah, Cretan, signed Emmanuel Lambardos, circa 1600

painted against a gold ground, the prophet sitting in the mouth of a cave set in a rocky landscape bordered by trees, gazing up at the raven which is holding a loaf of bread in its beak, his right hand propping his head and his left hand resting on his knee, wearing a long blue chiton with a purple red mantle lined with fur, Elijah's name written on the upper part of the icon and the signature of Emmanuel Lambardos in cinnabar red on the lower border of the panel

The painting in very good overall condition, the back of the panel parqueted
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Emmanuel Lambardos came from a family of painters, who settled in Candia, Crete in the late 16th century and established themselves as one of the most eminent workshops in the city during the late 16th and early 17th century. 

The iconographic type of the seated prophet Elijah in a cave appears for the first time in Byzantine miniature painting in the 12th century and was adopted later in icons. Emmanuel Lambardos here faithfully reproduces the Palaiologan model, which the painter Angelos used in the early 15th century for his monumental icon of Elijah in the St Elijah church on Naxos. The main difference in composition compared with the Lambardos icon, is that the raven is flying towards the prophet instead of sitting on a rock as is the case in the present icon. It is highly probable that Lambardos either based the iconography of this icon on a working drawing by Angelos or used the large Elijah icon by Angelos on Naxos directly as his model.