I would have said this was a rare Biblical scene — until I started looking into it! In fact, many bibles that have more than a few illustrations include this scene. I first came across this strange Biblical incident as engraved on Richard Haydocke’s monumental brass of Henry Airay in New College, Oxford (1616) [BELOW], but my excuse for dealing with it in the present context is this painting in the album of Matthäus Miller — to date, the only example I have noticed — but then, I wasn’t looking for it before! But to the story:

According to II Kings 2, 23ff., while on his way towards Bethel, the prophet Elisha was insulted by a gang of 42 children [oddly precise count!] who called him ‘Baldy’ (though he doesn’t look bald in our album miniature) — shortly thereafter they were killed and eaten by bears — all of which goes to show, you do not mess with God’s prophets! In the painting, as well as calling him names, presumably, the children point and direct abusive gesture towards him too. In the heavens we see the subsequent episode in which he disappears in a fiery chariot. Lots of medieval examples on the Princeton Index, where the subject is called “Elisha mocked”. Appears to be ICONCLASS no. 71N21

Like the Mocking of Christ, the Mocking of Elisha is a a prime site for the study of historical abusive gesture. This painting below, attributed to Roeloff van Zijl c.1525, shows the boys making similar gestures to those in our album painting — one of the black bears that will be their undoing is almost invisible pursuing the small fleeing boy in the distance.

On this extant pane made in Thurgau in 1601 we see both the Mocking and the Fiery Chariot scenes

Medieval examples

I’m hoping one of my learned readers will be able to tell me what Elisha is doing here…

DETAIL from next — which includes the Fiery Chariot

The boy immediately in front of the prophet is making an interesting finger-crossing gesture here, behind him, the boy in yellow stretches his mouth into a grimace called a Gähnmaul in German.

In this image Elisha is already seated in his about-to-be-fiery chariot remonstrating with the abusive boys — the one in green perhaps makes the ‘eyelid-pull’ gesture