Fernand Khnopff

Louis Nève (a gift from the artist); thence by descent to the previous owner; (sale: Sotheby's London, 22 June 2000, lot 154)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Brussels, Musée des Beaux Arts, Salon, 1896, no. 78
Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs; Brussels, Musée des Beaux Arts; Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle: Fernand Khnopff, 1979-80, no. 75, illustrated in the catalogue
Brussels, Galerie CGER, L'Enfant dans l'art belge, de 1800 à nos jours, 1983-84, no. 47, illustrated in the catalogue
Tokyo, Himeji; Nagoya, Yamanashi: Fernand Khnopff, 1990, no. 48
Brussels, Musée des Beaux Arts; Salzburg, Museum der Moderne, Rupertinum; Boston, McMullen Museum of Art: Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), 2004, no. 84, discussed & illustrated in the catalogue

Edmond-Louis de Taeye, Les Artistes belges contemporains. Leurs vies, leurs œuvres, leur place dans l'art, Brussels, 1894, p. 749, listed (erroneously dated 1896)
Louis Dumont-Wilden, Fernand Khnopff, Brussels, 1907, p. 71, listed
'Fernand Khnopff', in Notices biographiques et bibliographiques concernant les membres, les correspondants et les associés. 1907-1909, Brussels, 1909, p. 754, listed
Maria Biermé, Les Artistes de la pensée et du sentiment, Brussels, 1911, p. 3, listed
Paul Lambotte, Les Peintres de portraits, Brussels & Paris, 1913, p. 126, listed
Jean Delville, 'Notice sur Fernand Khnopff', in Annuaire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 1925, p. 24, listed
Gustave Deltour, 'Fernand Khnopff', in La Belgique d'aujourd'hui, Berlin, n.d., listed
Robert L. Delevoy, Catherine de Croës, Gisèle Ollinger-Zinque, Fernand Khnopff, Brussels, 1979, p. 282, no. 230, catalogued & illustrated

The following condition report has been prepared by Hamish Dewar Ltd., of 13 & 14 Mason's Yard, London SW1Y 6BU: UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural condition The artist's panel has a vertical stable hairline crack running up from the lower horizontal edge which has been secured on the reverse with an inserted cross baton and one small square insert. It is approximately 20 cm in length and 12 cm in from the left vertical edge of the panel. Paint surface The paint surface has a rather dull varnish layer and should respond well to surface cleaning and revarnishing. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a fine line of retouching corresponding to the hairline crack. There are also some pigments on the faces of the two children wearing red blouses that do fluoresce slightly but I think are the artist's original pigments rather than retouching. Summary The painting therefore appears to be in generally good condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Painted in 1893, this haunting portrait depicts the four eldest children of the artist's friends Louis and Jeanne Nève. They are, from left to right, the blond-haired Jacques, aged four, behind him Robert, aged eight, Philippe, aged ten, and Suzanne, six. Khnopff stayed with the Nèves at their home, the Château de Eersel in Sint-Lenaarts, from 1892 to 1893, and presented this paintng to his hosts in thanks. The composition is closely based on a photograph, in which the children are seen posing in near identical positions (see fig. 1).

A comparison between the photograph and the painting reveals that the latter has far greater depth and gravitas than the snap shot captured on film, and reveals how Khnopff used photography to further his own aesthetic ideals. Here, as in many of his paintings, Khnopff uses the photograph as a springboard to jump from one reality to another. The result is a truly symbolist vision in which the dreaminess and introspection of the children's faces is akin to the portraits of Edward Burne-Jones, whom Khnopff visited in London and to whose work he was clearly indebted.

This work is sold in its original frame, designed by Fernand Khnopff.