There is a vital similarity between the fish Jim has just shown us and the original fish (beautiful fish, BTW), and that is that both seem to mix side and top views in a perhaps proto-cubist manner (the European "modern" artists openly derived much of their ideation from foreign cultures). We see the tail as if from the side, looking relatively like a whale tail, compared to the side fins, shown as from above (top and bottom fins on a fish are not usually symmetrical like this), and likewise the barbels (catfish whiskers) on Jim's fish. This makes it harder to analyze whether putting both eyes on one side is bit of realism or of artistic convention. I haven't seen it done on art depicting land animals from India, I don't think. We would probably need more fish art from the region.
It's hard to see all the detail on my little screen, but at least one of Jens' larger fish clearly shows a mouth that runs sideways, kind of between the eyes (until I noticed this, I too thought these may be overhead views). Type of fish may be quite important; to seafaring and fishing peoples the differences between types of fish are as clear and vital as the differences between land animals. River fish or ocean fish? That might make a difference. Or for all I know they might just be fish.
Lovely fish.
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