The "Jonah Marbles" astonished the art world when they were introduced to the public in 1965. They are world renowned for their superb quality and condition.
These symbolic sculptures were purportedly unearthed together from a large pithos, or jar. Where these sculptures were originally found remains unknown. Recent technical analysis has helped identify the Roman Imperial marble quarries at Docimium in Ancient Phrygia (now Central Turkey) as the source for the marble from which the sculptures were carved. The Docimium quarries supplied the Roman Empire with high-quality marble in the form of unfinished blocks that were used for sculpture, paving, and veneer.
Group of Early Christian Sculptures
The "Jonah Marbles"
1 Jonah Swallowed
2 Jonah Cast Up
3 Jonah Praying
4 Jonah Under the Gourd Vine
5 The Good Shepherd Asia Minor, probably Phrygia (Central Turkey), about AD 270-280
Marble
John L. Severance Fund 1965.237; .238; .240; .239; .241
