Jonah and the Whale (after Dughet)

William Taverner (Canterbury 1703 – London 1772). Oil painting on canvas, Jonah and the Whale (after Dughet) by William Taverner (Canterbury 1703 - London 1772) In a storm-filled sea and rocky lanscape a sailing ship, on the left, with figures on board flounders in the huge waves. One of the figures, Jonah, who confessed that he was the cause of the storm as God was angry with him, is being thrown overboard. Beside it is a huge sea monster perched above the crest of a wave with its jaws open wide. On the rocks on the shore on the right are a group on figures watching the scene. Perched on the cliff in the distance is a temple [?], referring to Ninevah, the land from which Jonah has defected. The painting is a copy after Gaspard Dughet that has been in the Royal Collection since 1745. Stourhead, Wiltshire (Accredited Museum)