The oil painting Tethys shows the head of a life-size goblin shark. Although this shark species has existed unchanged for at least 125 million years, it was only discovered about 120 years ago off Sagami Bay, Japan.
Very little is still known about this species. The exterior of the deep sea shark is reminiscent of a mythical creature or Albrecht Dürer’s depiction of the devil. At the same time, the naturalistic painting conveys a vulnerable side of the creature. Tethys is the name of the primeval ocean in which this shark species already lived.
