The small unfinished panel has been discovered by the nephew of Augusta Boogaerts in the attic of her house, avenue de la Chasse in Brussels. Augusta Boogaerts (1870-1950) became Ensor's closet companion from about 1888 and remained close to him until his death. She never lived with him, yet she was the only woman with whom he was on imtimate terms. In later years Augusta virtually became his studio manager, supervising his production, making an inventory of this tudio and promoting the sales of his works. Circa 1895 Ensor painted a similar composition on a larger scale titled Poissons, hommard et coquillages (X. Tricot, James Ensor, Catalogue Raisonné, Antwerp, 1992, (illustrated no. 376)

To be included in the forthcoming supplement to the James Ensor catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Xavier Tricot