Pennnacchi, Pier Maria (attrib.)
The Prophet Elijah

Late 15th / early 16th century
Painted panel
Ceiling, Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Venice, Italy

This is one of several dozen painted panels in the church's coffered ceiling. The banderole identifies Elijah with the words HELIAS ṖTA. (The second word is an abbreviation for propheta.) The brown cloak visible on his right shoulder may have been intended as an attribute referring to the episode in which he cleaved the waters of the Jordan by casting his cloak upon it.

According to the church's guide book, "The attribution of the painting cycle to Pier Maria Pennacchi (c. 1464-1515) seems to have been a generic label applied long after the diverse figures were painted."

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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.