Artwork Page for Jonah Cast Up

Details / Information for Jonah Cast Up

Jonah Cast Up

280–90 CE
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Anatolia, late Roman-early Christian

Medium
marble
Measurements
Overall: 41.5 x 36 x 18.5 cm (16 5/16 x 14 3/16 x 7 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1965.238
Public Domain
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Location
104 Late Antiquity
Print
?

Did You Know?

The fearsome creature spitting Jonah out of its mouth is a creation of the artist's imagination derived from the ancient Greek cetos, a sea monster. Like other mythical beasts, such as the griffin and the sphinx, this monster combines elements of several different animals. Which ones do you see when looking at this fantastical creature?

Description

After disobeying the Lord’s command to proclaim judgment on the city of Nineveh, the Old Testament prophet Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a sea monster. He spent three days praying inside the beast before being cast ashore. Here, the beast spits Jonah out of its mouth.
Marble sculpture depicting Jonah, a man with a bushy beard, emerging from the mouth of a sea monster, head first. The sea monster has a canine head and front paws, wings, and a serpent body, its winding tail flipping over it's head, in contact with Jonah's right hand. Jonah sticks out of the creature's mouth from the waist up, hands thrown in the air, his left hand broken off.

Jonah Cast Up

280–90 CE

Anatolia, late Roman-early Christian

See Also

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