'Il y a des amoureux de Redon, à l'étranger'. With these words the French symbolist writer Joris-Karl Huysmans introduced his Dutch friend and colleague Ary Prins (1860-1922) to Odilon Redon (Letter, written before May 1886, Lettres de Gauguin...à Odilon Redon, (ed. Rosaline Bacou, Paris 1960, p.105). Soon afterwards he regretted this because Prins had just bought a charcoal drawing he had wanted for himself (Letter, 28 June 1886, op.cit, p. 107). Indeed Ary Prins seemed to be 'un garçon très curieux, très dévoué, très résolu' as Huysmans described him. Apart from being an author and collaborator to the avant-garde magazine 'De Nieuwe Gids', Prins was a businessman who had settled in Hamburg. His love for Redon did not only reflect in his works, but also in his deeds. After arriving for a summer visit to Paris in 1887 he immediately went to Dumont, the editor of some of Redons lithographic series, and bought another charcoal drawing: 'La tête de femme pendue par la chaîne au-dessys des eaux' (Letter from Huysmans to Redon, 26 Juli 1887, ibid. p.100). Redon duly noted this purchase in his catalogue of sold works: 'Tête suspendue, coiffée, par une chaîne'. According to Rosaline Bacou, this noir dates from 1881 (op cit. p.110, n.2).

To be included in the fortcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's work being prepared by Fondation Wildenstein, and sold with a letter by Marie-Christine Decroocq (Temporary no. 91.09 12/1064/2508) confirming this fact.

See colour illustration