De Gelder was Rembrandt’s last pupil and shared his fascination with obscure subjects from the Bible. In this scene, the Old Testament prophet Elisha rescues an impoverished widow by conjuring up a miraculous supply of oil that she can sell to pay her debts. As the woman displays her coin purse, Elisha fills every spare piece of crockery with the precious liquid. The tightly framed composition and earthy tonality reflect Rembrandt’s influence, which continued to inspire De Gelder long after his master’s death.