Ensor. La Gamme d'Amour

Between 1910 and 1913, James Ensor produced a series of drawings in colored pencil, titled La Gamme d'Amour (Flirt de marionnettes). Each drawing on paper measures about 175 by 250 mm. The series depicts the two decors and the numerous figures of his ballet for puppets. In 1929, a selection of the drawings was made into lithographs and published in the form of an album by Un Coup de dés in Brussels, at the expense of the Belgian music publisher Georges Vriamont. Besides the 20 lithographs, the offset reproduction of an oil painting, the score for piano, and the libretto were also included in the portfolio. These drawings could be considered as a link between the Ostend master's early and later oeuvre. Some of his charming figures were also executed in oil paint. The music of his ballet was performed at different occasions during Ensor's lifetime, in his hometown Ostend, but also in Brussels, Antwerp, and even abroad.