I've tried to keep my eyes open over the years for where this style of fish may have originated.
Here is an early one (9th century) but not necessarily the first (looking for these is a sideline, so there might be earlier ones that I haven't seen).
Note again the "eyelid" line, the bump nose, and the all-over scales. It's not as similar as the two above, but may be in the same general tradition.
From the Abbey Saint-Pierre de Corbie, Lat. 13025
It's one of my favorites... fish eating lion eating fish
Here is an early one (9th century) but not necessarily the first (looking for these is a sideline, so there might be earlier ones that I haven't seen).
Note again the "eyelid" line, the bump nose, and the all-over scales. It's not as similar as the two above, but may be in the same general tradition.
From the Abbey Saint-Pierre de Corbie, Lat. 13025
It's one of my favorites... fish eating lion eating fish