Two more forgotten works by Jonah have come to light during the course of 2021 after being bought at auction through Rogers Jones Co in Cardiff. Both buyers prefer to remain anonymous, but we are very grateful to them for allowing us to report on the “rediscovery” of the works.
Eye to an Island
On 17 April a small mixed media sketch of an idea for a sculpture (unrealised), entitled Eye to an Island, was sold. The verso bears a label from the Tegfryn Gallery in Menai Bridge, which sold works by Jonah from the mid-1960s on, although judging by the style the piece could have been made any time up to the 1990s. It shows a round black form – in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, looking remarkably like a coronavirus to our eyes – framing an island or headland rather similar to Worms Head, at Rhosili on Gower.
Ffynnon Gybi
A watercolour entitled Ffynnon Gybi, dated 1988, was sold on 6 November. This striking work shows the ancient well at Llangybi on the Llŷn Peninsula. Pilgrimage to the holy well was probably firmly established by the end of the Middle Ages, from when the structure around it may date. In the 18th century the water’s reputed curative properties reinforced the site’s popularity.
Scene & Word Ltd would like to thank Ben Rogers Jones for granting permission to use the photos supplied by Rogers Jones Co.