Squelettes voulant se chauffer (Skeletons wishing to warm themselves) (D., Cr., T. 98; E. 100)

A scare of skeletons, clothed in large and ill-fitting garments, huddle around a stove trying to keep warm. In this hand-coloured version the glimmer of embers in the open door of the stove and the soft orange light radiating from its base indicate the presence of fire. This contradicts an inscription on a painting of the same subject from 1889 (Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas) which reads: 'Pas de feu/ En Trouverez vous demain?’ [No fire/ Will you find any tomorrow?]. A palette and violin identify two of the skeletons as a painter and a musician, and the print has been interpreted as a sardonic critique of the precarious position of the artist in a society. The glowing fire in this hand-coloured version, however, questions whether this was, in fact, Ensor’s intended meaning.