Sketch of freshly caught fish hanging from a string Oil on cardboard, 34 x 47 cm

Sketch of freshly caught fish hanging from a string

Oil on cardboard, 34 x 47 cm

First half of the 20th century, Italian school

Good overall condition; edges show minor imperfections and small pinholes, typical of studio use. Likely a preparatory sketch for a larger painting.

Two fish, still damp and freshly pulled from the water, hang by their mouths from a string. No staging, no decorative intent—just the raw, unfiltered presence of the catch, rendered with dense, gestural, almost instinctive brushwork. The grey-pink hues of the skin, the glassy eye turned outward, the tension of the suspended bodies: everything conveys a strong physical presence, immediate and unapologetic.

On the reverse are a few pencil sketches—among them a crustacean—and an inscription in Italian: triglia (red mullet). A simple but telling detail that clearly points to an Italian origin, likely within an academic or studio training context in the early 20th century.

A straightforward, observational study—honest and unembellished. And that’s precisely what gives it its strength.