Taxidermy Fish

Artisan: Paul Briggs
Date: 2001
Inscriptions: signed and dated ‘Paul Briggs 2001’ (on the back of the mount)
Dimensions: 44 x 106 x 13 mm. / 1 ¾ x 4 ¼ x ½ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.096
Intended Room: Smoking Room
Category: Natural History

Provenance: Private collection, London; from which bought by us via eBay in 2022

Paul Briggs is best known for his miniature ships in bottles, but I was rather taken by this taxidermy fish, which was listed for sale from a private collection. It is incredibly naturalistic and will look splendid over the fireplace in the Smoking Room, surrounded by other natural history pieces and art focused on hunting or country life. It’s a sizeable specimen and I’ve been wondering what kind of fish it might be. A salmon, perhaps?