The Ninth Wave (Russian: Девятый вал, Dyevyatiy val) is an 1850 painting by Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky.

[1][2] The title refers to an old sailing expression referring to a wave of incredible size that comes after a succession of incrementally larger waves.

[3] It depicts a sea after a night storm and people facing death attempting to save themselves by clinging to debris from a wrecked ship.

The debris, in the shape of the cross, appears to be a Christian metaphor for salvation from the earthly sin.

The painting has warm tones, which reduce the sea's apparent menacing overtones and a chance for the people to survive seems plausible.