Angular Roughshark (Oxynotus centrina) – Original hand-colored engraving by Pierre Antoine Prêtre, Antique Print

The “Sea Pig” as a Scientific Portrait

This original hand-colored engraving depicts the Angular Roughshark (Oxynotus centrina), identified on the plate with the evocative historical name “Pesce porco.” Rendered in a poised, upright profile, the figure feels almost sculptural — a compact, heavy-bodied shark with an oddly solemn character, preserved here with the clarity of an encyclopedic specimen.

Prêtre enhances the subject’s strangeness through simplicity: one dominant form, isolated against a generous white field, accompanied by a small anatomical detail that reads like a diagrammatic footnote. The balance between display and explanation is quintessentially nineteenth-century — the plate invites admiration, then quietly teaches.

The plate belongs to the Italian edition of the Dizionario di Scienze Naturali (Florence, Battelli press), a monumental publication in which Pierre Antoine Prêtre’s zoological subjects stand out for their refinement and display quality.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The colouring is built from warm browns and soft creams, with a stippled texture that suggests rough skin and depth. A pale central band rises through the body like a column of light, while the darker outer tones frame the silhouette and give the fish a carved, almost wooden solidity.

Small accents — the red-rimmed eye, the delicate tooth row, and the precise outline of the fins — bring liveliness without breaking the plate’s restraint. Even the ancillary detail in the corner feels elegant, keeping the overall impression closer to a cabinet print than a purely technical diagram.

About the Subject

The Angular Roughshark belongs to a group of deep-water sharks whose unusual proportions fascinated early naturalists: a thick body, angular ridges, and a slow, deliberate presence unlike the streamlined predators of popular imagination. In nineteenth-century reference works, such creatures often carried vernacular names that captured their perceived character — “sea pig” being a memorable example of how taxonomy and folklore coexisted on the printed page. The result is a subject that feels both scientific and cultural: a rare form given a portrait worthy of its singularity.

Condition Report

The engraving is in excellent antique condition, with clean margins and a fresh, well-preserved hand-coloured surface. Printed on original smooth wove paper (non-laid), consistent with Italian scientific editions of the period. No watermark has been observed. The impression is clear and the colour remains vibrant, with no visible losses.

Details

• Artist: Pierre Antoine Prêtre
• Work / Publication: Dizionario di Scienze Naturali – Sacchetti Collection
• Period: early 19th century
• Technique: Original hand-colored engraving
• Paper: Original smooth wove paper
• Watermark: None observed
• Sheet size: approx. 22 × 15 cm

For further context on Pierre Antoine Prêtre and his contribution to nineteenth-century zoological illustration, see our editorial feature:

Pierre Antoine Prêtre – Illustrator of Natural Science and Marine Life

Looking for: Oxynotus centrina engraving, angular roughshark print, antique shark illustration, 19th-century marine life engraving.