Lot #1394: JAMES ENSOR - Têtes Grotesques - Watercolor, wax crayon, and pencil drawing on paper

   

Artist: James Ensor.
Title: "Têtes Grotesques".
Medium: Watercolor, wax crayon, and pencil drawing on paper.
Date: Composed 1923-1924.
Dimensions: Overall size: 12 x 9 1/2 in. (305 x 241 mm). Image size: 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (216 x 165 mm).
Pricing:
  Starting Price: $16,000
  Reserve Price: N.A.
  Auction Sale Price Estimate: $25,000/30,000
Lot Note(s): Signed lower center. Painted on cream laid paper. Good condition; a small paper loss lower left and upper left corners; very minor edge tears left margin; the work is affixed to a gray-blue wove paper backing sheet which is in very good shape save some modest edge fading and minor creasing.
Comment(s): Our example of the ‘Grotesque Heads’ is clearly in the tradition of Ensor’s “Self-Portrait with Masks” (1899) and “The Seven Deadly Sins,” the 1904 portfolio of etchings, among other works. Quite possibly a study for a later, more finished work. Ensor was a painter and printmaker who was an early and important influence on expressionism and surrealism. Image copyright © SABAM, Belgian Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers. [29892-2-16000-NA]