Illustration of a half monk, half fish. A tonsured monk’s head sticks out of scaly robes, with arms held up and ending in finny fingers. The “fish” stands upright, with its fishy tail fanning out under the scaly robe.
The author of the book this is taken from, Pierre Belon (Of Aquatic Species, Paris, 1553) used an earlier written account from Scandinavia, rather than direct observation (obviously). He described the fish as having a human head and face, like a monk’s shaven head, while its body is covered in scales. The misunderstanding lead to a delightfully wrong illustration.
Monkfish (1553)
I love this illustration with all my silly heart 😄
British Library, London
Details in alt
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