Head of a Peasant Woman
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh, Dutch, 1853–1890
- Date
- December 1884
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Nuenen, Noord-Brabant province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 17 1/4 x 13 5/8 in. (43.8 x 34.6 cm)
framed: 28 1/2 x 24 1/2 x 3 in. (72.4 x 62.2 x 7.6 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Charles H. Yalem by exchange, and funds given by Bruce and Kimberly Olson, Mrs. Alvin R. Frank, Sam and Marilyn Fox and the Fox Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Jack C. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew C. Taylor, the Ruth Peters MacCarthy Charitable Trust, The Arthur and Helen Baer Charitable Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. David C. Farrell, The Jordan Charitable Foundation, Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Langsdorf, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Rusnack, and the Gary Wolff Family
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 90:2000
NOTES
Vincent van Gogh always felt deep sympathy for the peasant classes and here tenderly depicted the full, sunburnt features of a young Dutch peasant woman. Her cap, in subtle shades of white and blue, is pulled around her head, while her eyes are enlivened by white highlights. Van Gogh’s muted tones are very different from his later use of bright color that followed his arrival in France in 1886.
Provenance
Galerie Charpentier, Paris, France
by 1927 - still in 1937
Hans Bammann Art Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany [1]
by 1939 -
J. K. Thannhauser Art Gallery, Berlin, Germany; Lucerne, Switzerland [2]
Thannhauser Art Gallery, New York, NY, USA
by 1970 -
Paul Schmolka, Prague, Czech Republic; New York, NY, USA [3]
Dr. F. Trüssel (1873-1965), Bern, Germany; heir of Dr. F. Trüssel [4]
1974/11/08
Sold at auction at Galerie Koller, Zurich, Switzerland, November 8, 1974, lot no. 2691, to an unknown buyer [5]
1985/1986 - 1990
Unknown gallery, Japan [6]
1990 - 1999
Private Collection (firm), Japan, purchased from unknown gallery [7]
1999 - 2000
Private Collection, Japan, purchased from private collection (firm) [8]
2000
Galerie Daniel Malingue, Paris, France, acquired from private collection [9]
2000 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Galerie Daniel Malingue [10]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Baart de la Faille's catalogue raisonné, the 1970 revised edition, cat. no. 146a [Faille, J.-B. de la. "The Works of Vincent van Gogh: His Paintings and Drawings." Amsterdam, Meulenhoff International, 1970]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Listed as being in the Bammann collection in a 1927 article by de la Faille [Faille, J.-B. de la. "Unbekannte Bilder von Vincent van Gogh." "Cicerone" XIX (1927): 101-103]. Also listed as in the Bammann collection in a 1937 publication [Vanbeselaere, Walther. "De hollandsche periode (1880-1885) in het werk van Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)." Antwerpen: De Sikkel, 1937].
[2] Published as being in the Thannhauser Gallery, Berlin in the 1939 edition of de la Faille [Faille, J.B. de la. "Vincent van Gogh." Paris: Hyperion Press, 1939, cat. no. F765]. The Lucerne location is noted in a fact sheet on the painting provided by Galerie Daniel Malingue and is not found in de la Faille (see note [9]).
[3] The 1970 edition of de la Faille gives Paul Schmolka as the current owner.
[4] The sales catalog for the 1974 Galerie Koller, Zurich auction lists Dr. F. Trüssel as the most recent owner of the painting. According to a March 28, 2002 letter from Galerie Koller, the gallery received the painting directly from the heir of Dr. Trüssel [SLAM document files].
[5] According to Art Sales Index and the auction catalog from Galerie Koller ["Auktionen: 5. bis .21 November 1974." Galerie Koller Zürich, November 5 -21, 1974, lot no. 2691].
[6] According to a letter from Galerie Daniel Malingue dated March 21, 2002, this painting was acquired in 1985/1986 by a Japanese gallery. The gallery sold it in 1990 to a Japanese firm [SLAM document files].
[7] According to the March 2002 letter from Galerie Daniel Malingue (see note [6]), a Japanese firm sold this painting in 1999 to the private collection, which sold it to Galerie Daniel Malingue.
During this period, the work was exhibited in 1994 and 1997-1998 in Japan ["A travers de l'Art modern francais," 1994 and "Impressionnistes et l'Art Moderne: de Monet à Picasso," 1997].
[8] See note [7]. A Museum loan form dated April 20, 2000 indicates that the credit line for display should read "private collection, courtesy Galerie Daniel Malingue" [SLAM document files].
[9] A letter dated March 13, 2000 from Galerie Daniel Malingue, with an accompanying fact sheet on the painting, indicates that the gallery received the painting from a Japanese private collection [SLAM document files]. Other information received from Galerie Daniel Malingue did not indicate the location of the private collection from which they received the painting (see notes [6, 7]).
[10] Invoice dated December 19, 2000 from Galerie Daniel Malingue, and Bill of Sale dated January 5, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 6, 2000.
by 1927 - still in 1937
Hans Bammann Art Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany [1]
by 1939 -
J. K. Thannhauser Art Gallery, Berlin, Germany; Lucerne, Switzerland [2]
Thannhauser Art Gallery, New York, NY, USA
by 1970 -
Paul Schmolka, Prague, Czech Republic; New York, NY, USA [3]
Dr. F. Trüssel (1873-1965), Bern, Germany; heir of Dr. F. Trüssel [4]
1974/11/08
Sold at auction at Galerie Koller, Zurich, Switzerland, November 8, 1974, lot no. 2691, to an unknown buyer [5]
1985/1986 - 1990
Unknown gallery, Japan [6]
1990 - 1999
Private Collection (firm), Japan, purchased from unknown gallery [7]
1999 - 2000
Private Collection, Japan, purchased from private collection (firm) [8]
2000
Galerie Daniel Malingue, Paris, France, acquired from private collection [9]
2000 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Galerie Daniel Malingue [10]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Baart de la Faille's catalogue raisonné, the 1970 revised edition, cat. no. 146a [Faille, J.-B. de la. "The Works of Vincent van Gogh: His Paintings and Drawings." Amsterdam, Meulenhoff International, 1970]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Listed as being in the Bammann collection in a 1927 article by de la Faille [Faille, J.-B. de la. "Unbekannte Bilder von Vincent van Gogh." "Cicerone" XIX (1927): 101-103]. Also listed as in the Bammann collection in a 1937 publication [Vanbeselaere, Walther. "De hollandsche periode (1880-1885) in het werk van Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)." Antwerpen: De Sikkel, 1937].
[2] Published as being in the Thannhauser Gallery, Berlin in the 1939 edition of de la Faille [Faille, J.B. de la. "Vincent van Gogh." Paris: Hyperion Press, 1939, cat. no. F765]. The Lucerne location is noted in a fact sheet on the painting provided by Galerie Daniel Malingue and is not found in de la Faille (see note [9]).
[3] The 1970 edition of de la Faille gives Paul Schmolka as the current owner.
[4] The sales catalog for the 1974 Galerie Koller, Zurich auction lists Dr. F. Trüssel as the most recent owner of the painting. According to a March 28, 2002 letter from Galerie Koller, the gallery received the painting directly from the heir of Dr. Trüssel [SLAM document files].
[5] According to Art Sales Index and the auction catalog from Galerie Koller ["Auktionen: 5. bis .21 November 1974." Galerie Koller Zürich, November 5 -21, 1974, lot no. 2691].
[6] According to a letter from Galerie Daniel Malingue dated March 21, 2002, this painting was acquired in 1985/1986 by a Japanese gallery. The gallery sold it in 1990 to a Japanese firm [SLAM document files].
[7] According to the March 2002 letter from Galerie Daniel Malingue (see note [6]), a Japanese firm sold this painting in 1999 to the private collection, which sold it to Galerie Daniel Malingue.
During this period, the work was exhibited in 1994 and 1997-1998 in Japan ["A travers de l'Art modern francais," 1994 and "Impressionnistes et l'Art Moderne: de Monet à Picasso," 1997].
[8] See note [7]. A Museum loan form dated April 20, 2000 indicates that the credit line for display should read "private collection, courtesy Galerie Daniel Malingue" [SLAM document files].
[9] A letter dated March 13, 2000 from Galerie Daniel Malingue, with an accompanying fact sheet on the painting, indicates that the gallery received the painting from a Japanese private collection [SLAM document files]. Other information received from Galerie Daniel Malingue did not indicate the location of the private collection from which they received the painting (see notes [6, 7]).
[10] Invoice dated December 19, 2000 from Galerie Daniel Malingue, and Bill of Sale dated January 5, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 6, 2000.