Jonah is the prophet painted beside the whale on Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The figure of Jonah appears at the eastern end of the ceiling, above the altar wall. Michelangelo depicts him reclining in a dramatic foreshortened pose, with the large sea creature associated with the biblical story visible behind him. The unusual angle makes the figure seem to project toward the viewer.
Jonah’s story comes from the Book of Jonah. He is commanded to preach at Nineveh, attempts to flee, and is swallowed by a great fish before being returned to land. Christian interpretation often connects the episode with themes of death, deliverance and resurrection.
The figure is sometimes described casually as being beside a whale, although the biblical text refers to a great fish rather than specifying a modern zoological species. In art history, however, Jonah and the whale is the familiar identification.