Fishmonger’s Sign

British - Artist unknown

20th Century

Painted Pine

Height: 42.7 cm

The demand for British Folk Art in the 20^th century – first from America then later from Britain, too – led to the creation of a number of fakes targeted at would-be collectors. This ‘shop sign’ is one such: older fishmonger’s shop signs would have been painted to look anatomically exactly like a fish, not like this stylized version, while the shiny oil-paint surface suggests it was never intended for outside use.