Fernand Khnopff

Marguerite Freson-Khnopff, Liège (the artist's sister)
Gilberte Thibaut de Maisières, Seneffe (daughter of the above)
The Piccadilly Gallery, London
Galerie J.C. Gaubert, Paris
Wolf Uecker, Lausanne
Purchased by the present owner in the 1980s

Paris, Galerie J.C. Gaubert, Idéalistes et Symbolistes, no. 36, illustrated in the catalogue

Robert Delevoy, Catherine de Croës & Gisèle Ollinger-Zinque, Fernand Khnopff, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, Brussels, 1987, pp. 365-366, no. 472, illustrated 

Not examined out of its frame, this work is behind glass with no visible damage. The colours are fresh. Overall this work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Executed circa 1910, the present work is part of a series of cropped female faces shown frontally.

'Faces dominate the art of Fernand Khnopff; they become the expressive hieroglyphs which invite the viewer to engage in a dialogue, to be swept up out of the world for a time into the eternal world of aesthetic contemplation.'  (Jeffrey Howe, Introduction to the exhibition catalogue Fernand Khnopff and the Belgian avant-garde, Chicago, New York & Delaware, 1984).

Emile Verhaeren described Khnopff's drawings as 'suggestions of thought'. In this context the image of the woman in the present work can be considered purely symbolic - the incarnation of human passions and ideas.