"Débris" (The mother of the artist).

Oil and pencil on canvas, 46,1 x 27,0 cm, signed and dated at lower right "Ensor / 1900", pencil signed, titled and located on verso on stretcher bar at centre "James Ensor / 27 rampe de Flandre Ostende / Débris”, pen signed, titled and located on label “James Ensor / [27] rampe de Flandre Ostende / exposition de la Société royale belge / [des] aquarellistes / n° 3 Débris”, label “J. Demuenynck / 38 Rue de l’Ouest Ostende / Encadrements [etc.]” (signature sl. faded, some craquelures caused by evolution of canvas and pictorial layer, mostly visible on areas not backed by stretcher bars, few losses, overall appearance as intended by quick painting style).

Framed (studied outside frame).

Fascinating half-length portrait of an older lady in an interior with a Chinese vase and a mirror at left, a small vase with flowers at right, and a framed portrait of a young lady above. The work has been in the same family for several generations and hence was overlooked in the catalogue raissoné of James Ensor (1860-1949) by Xavier Tricot (James Ensor. Life and work. The complete paintings, Brussels 2009). The Ensor Advisory Committee, however, has confirmed its authenticity. The sitter can be identified as Ensor's mother, Marie Louise Cathérine Haegheman (1835-1915), at the age of 65. Ensor also painted her in 1882 (Tricot 2009, p. 277, n. 222) and on her deathbed in 1915 (id., p. 349, n. 476-477). Our painting from 1900 fills the gap of more than 30 years between these documented works. Ensor's mother is portrayed in a similar pose as Aunt Mimi, her sister, on "Figure revêche" in 1890 (id., p. 304, n. 312). Most of the canvas is painted rather quickly, emphasizing the attention and detail given to his mother's face and hands. She is sitting next to a Chinese vase, a beloved subject in his still lifes. Ensor's wit is demonstrated by the confrontation of the older woman with the portrait of a young lady. The latter hung in Ensor's parents' salon and is now on display at the James Ensor House in Ostend. It can be seen on two other paintings by the master, "La Brodeuse" from 1889 and "La Marquise" from 1911 (id., pp. 302-303, n. 306 and p. 345, n. 460). To add to the irony, Ensor titled this work "Débris", as can be found on the autograph inscriptions on the verso. These also contain Ensor's address on the Vlaanderenstraat 27, now the James Ensor House. All together, this remarkable and deeply personal portrait demonstrates the pictorial qualities and humour that define Ensor's oeuvre. With certificate from the Ensor Advisory Committee.
Prov. Anna Roose (died 18.09.1980), Ostend. According to oral tradition in the family, Anna worked in a local shop with painter's supplies. - Bequeathed together with other works by James Ensor and Léon Spilliaert to her cousin, Kortrijk. - By descent to the current private collection, Belgium.