A very fine impression.

Skating was a traditional subject for Flemish paintings and prints going back to Breugel, Avercamp and Essais van de Velde; and also among artists in Holland during Ensor’s time including Kruseman, Koekkoek, and Schelfhout. But perhaps the traditional theme of carefree partying skaters is not precisely what Ensor had in mind; the ominous figures in the left foreground, including one with a decidedly wolf-like profile, and the scattering of fallen figures, strikes an off note. And virtually all the figures who have not fallen, extending far into space, seems to be on the verge of doing so.

Whatever the meaning of all this, the patterning of the skaters against the darkening winter sky and the bare trees creates one of Ensor’s most memorable scenes.