Painted by the artist while living in Waregem and gifted to the van Buurens in 1922 by their friend Jacob de Graaf, the painting The Children’s Table depicts an ostensibly mundane scene rendered in a frozen moment. The artist’s five children appear completely uncommunicative, staring with disturbingly cold gazes from lash-less eyes.

Gustave Van De Woestyne never painted from life. For the paintings in the dining room, as with all his still lifes, the result on the canvas was distinctly different from the arrangement set before him.

Gustave Van De Woestyne would begin his portraits with a detail, often the eyes, which were always depicted without eyelashes, with the painting then naturally evolving from there. In The Shepherd, in which the background landscape remains secondary, the artist presents a portrait of a man lost in his dreams and detached from reality.

The acquisition of The Courtyard of Saint Agnes marks the beginning of a long friendship between David van Buuren and the artist. At one time, the museum held thirty-two of Van De Woestyne’s works. David became his sole patron, purchasing numerous paintings and also providing financial support throughout the artist’s career.