Llech Ronw (‘Gronw’s Stone’), slate, marble and York stone, 1987. Collection: Cyngor Gwynedd.
Jonah conceived an idea based on the tale from the Mabinogi of the adulterer Gronw Bebyr, who vainly tried to use a stone as a shield against the avenging spear of the aggrieved Lleu Llaw Gyffes. The work is 6 ft tall and bears the title Llech Ronw (Gronw’s Stone). Upon a base of blue and green slate sits a holed Yorkstone, atop which looms a great white marble horned motif. This threatening symbol is softened by the carved profile of a man with eyes shut, as in death. Jonah exhibited Llech Ronw at the first Cricieth Festival, which took place in June and July 1988. The sculpture was bought by Gwynedd Council for £1,250 and later installed at the authority’s new offices in Caernarfon.