Elephanta Pagoda Whale
The narrator identifies the most ancient extant whale portrait in the cavern-pagoda of Elephanta, India. The Brahmins claim all human professions were prefigured in these ancient sculptures, including whaling. The Hindu whale appears in a depiction of Vishnu’s incarnation as the Matse Avatar—a half-man, half-whale form showing only the tail. The narrator criticizes this tail as “all wrong,” resembling the tapering tail of an anaconda rather than the broad, majestic flukes of a true whale.
Christian Artistic Depictions
The narrator examines Christian paintings of the whale, finding them equally inaccurate. Guido’s depiction of Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the sea-monster fails to capture the whale’s true form. Hogarth’s “Perseus Descending” is no better, with his monster exhibiting “huge corpulence” that barely disturbs the water’s surface. The creature has a “howdah on its back” and a distended mouth resembling “the Traitors’ Gate” of the Tower of London. The narrator finds these artistic renditions as unsuccessful as the ancient Hindu sculptures.
Biblical and Literary Whales
The narrator critiques biblical and literary depictions, including Jonah’s whale in old Bible prints and old primers. He discusses the “book-binder’s whale” that decorates book spines—a serpentine creature wrapping around anchors, derived from figures on antique vases. This dolphin-like whale was introduced by an Italian publisher during the Renaissance, reflecting the era’s belief that dolphins were a species of Leviathan. He also notes curious whale depictions in book vignettes, such as those in the title-page of the original “Advancement of Learning.”
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