A Large Painting By Henri Verbuecken (1848-1926). The Bacchanal

A large painting by HENRI VERBUECKEN (1848-1926)


Bacchanal, circa 1904.
Oil on canvas.
This painting was part of the glorious decoration of the architect's house of Jos Bascourt (1863-1927), completed in 1904, rue Sint-Vincentius 16 in Antwerp. In 1986, the building was demolished after several years of neglect. This monumental painting was saved from the demolition hammer. As mentioned on the Real Estate Inventory webpage, this classic painting of ladies playing music decorated the ground floor room.¹
It dates back to a smaller painting by Sir Lauwrence Alma-Tadema (1839-1912), sold at Christie's in London on 24.11.1989, lot 40 and dated 1871. Although Lawrence-Tadema lived in Antwerp from 1852 to 1858, he mostly probably had nothing to do with the creation of this larger version. It seems likely that Verbuecken and/or his collaborators used a print as an example, as some colors differ from the original painting.
A signed and dated 1920 gouache of the same composition - sold on 17.12.2021 at the Arenberg auction (lot 474) - indicates that Verbuecken was familiar with Alma-Tadema's prototype and used it for his own work.


Bed. : 1. https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/7572 (accessed 08/30/2023)

Verbuecken is best known for his oriental mosaics and painted decorations in Art Nouveau projects in Antwerp. He is responsible for the decoration of the entrance gate to the Antwerp Zoo, designed by the architect E. Thielens.

Dimensions:

H173.5 x 306 cm
H68.31 x 120.47 inches.