La Flagellation (The Flagellation) (D., Cr., T., E. 8)

Dwarfed by soaring Gothic architecture derived from a doorway in Bourges Cathedral, the ghostly figures of Christ and his tormentors are at first barely visible. Upon closer examination, Ensor's depiction of this familiar subject in the Western Canon reveals a peculiar twist. The persecutors of Christ in the lower left subject appear to be naked women watched by the armed soldiers clustered at right. The sadomasochistic and blasphemous overtones resonate with the work of Ensor's compatriot, Félicien Rops, who was a formative influence on the artist.

La Flagellation is one of the rarest prints in James Ensor's graphic oeuvre. An ink inscription on the backboard of the present example in the hand of Albert Croquez, a friend of the artist's and the first compiler of a catalogue raisonne of his prints, describes it as follows:

James Ensor no. 8/ La flagellation 1886/ une des planches les plus rares de l'oeuvre/ que Delteil déclare n'avoir jamais rencontrée./ C'est ici une épreuve d'essai avec les traces/ de pli et les inscriptions/ de toute rareté/ Albert Croquez


Croquez erroneously describes this impression as a trial proof. It is, in fact, a proof envelope and was wrapped around the copper plate for ease of identification and to protect the plate from damage. Eric Gillis recorded only four known examples of proof envelopes, including the present impression, although described as hand-coloured (E. Gillis, James Ensor - A Collection of Prints, C. G. Boerner, New York & Düsseldorf, 2002, p. 131).