A previously unknown painting by the Belgian artist James Ensor was the star lot in Dorotheum’s Modern art auction in Vienna on 31 May. Baptême de masques (1925-30), which is based on a contemporary photograph featuring the artist, vaulted over its high estimate of €500,000 selling for just over €1m (including buyer’s premium).
The work’s masquerade theme was a favourite of Ensor, whose family ran a souvenir and curiosity shop in the Belgian fishing village of Ostend. The surreal environment had a profound effect on the artist, who later said: “My childhood was filled with fantastic dreams and visits to my grandmother’s shop, with its iridescent glow reflecting from the shells, its sumptuous lace, strange stuffed animals and the dreadful weapons of savages that used to terrify me.”
Ensor appears in the painting wearing a hussar busby; other protagonists include members of the Nahrath family and Ernest Rousseau fils.
The painting was discovered at the home of a collector related to the family of Simone Breton. The French dealer, who was married to the Surrealist artist André Breton between 1921 and 1931, was the first to buy Baptême de masques. It was authenticated by the Ensor Advisory Committee in Ghent in October.
Martina Batovic, the director of Modern and contemporary art at Dorotheum in London described the painting as “every auctioneer’s dream”. She added: “[The] work came to us having never been seen on the market [and] it excited collectors beyond our expectations.” The record for a work by Ensor stands at €6.2m.
Dorotheum’s Old Master painting sale on 19 April also saw strong results. The top lot was a 15th-century nativity scene by the workshop of Hans Memling, which fetched €1.2m including premium (est. €1.2m-€1.8m). Despite only tipping the low estimate with buyer’s fees, Batovic said the price was “a great result for the Old Master sector”.
