{"product_id":"buste-de-paysanne-by-vincent-van-gogh","title":"Buste de paysanne by Vincent van Gogh","description":"Vincent van Gogh\u003cbr\u003e 1853–1890 | Dutch \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eBuste de paysanne\u003cbr\u003e (Bust of a Peasant Woman)\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e One of the most significant artists of all time, Vincent van Gogh profoundly shaped the course of art history. Paintings from his brief yet transformative Nuenen period are among the rarest and most coveted in his oeuvre. Entitled \u003cem\u003eBuste de paysanne\u003c\/em\u003e, this striking portrait from the winter of 1884-85 is one of the few peasant portraits from van Gogh's time in Nuenen still left in private hands. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By 1884, van Gogh had reluctantly joined his family in Nuenen, where he was surprised to find renewed purpose and direction for his art. He immersed himself in the local community, reconnecting with his roots and becoming especially fascinated with the town’s peasant workers. Van Gogh was enthralled with their closeness to land, skilled labor and quiet endurance, admirable qualities that he felt modern urban society had lost. He noted his obsession in one of his letters to his brother Theo: “I’ve become so absorbed in peasant life by continually seeing it at all hours of the day that I really hardly ever think of anything else.” (Letter no. 493) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003cem\u003eBuste de paysanne\u003c\/em\u003e, van Gogh’s deep connection to his subject comes powerfully to life. The woman’s piercing gaze is utterly mesmerizing, and the paint is thickly applied in rich, bold strokes, a revolutionary technique that would become van Gogh’s hallmark. This masterwork perfectly embodies van Gogh’s genius for capturing the true essence of his sitters. As the artist said himself, “One must paint the peasants as if one were one of them, as feeling, thinking as they do themselves.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Van Gogh set out to complete 50 of these peasant heads by the end of the winter of 1885—47 of which survive today. Because of their crucial importance in preparing the artist for his first groundbreaking masterpiece—\u003cem\u003eThe Potato Eaters\u003c\/em\u003e (1885)—most of these peasant portraits are already in major museum collections around the world. The Van Gogh Museum alone owns 10, with others residing in the collections of Kröller-Müller Museum, Musée d’Orsay, National Gallery London, National Galleries of Scotland, Belgian Royal Museums, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Norton Simon Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Kunstmuseum Bern and many more. Our portrait, \u003cem\u003eBuste de paysanne\u003c\/em\u003e, is thus one of only roughly 10 still left in private hands, marking it as an exceptionally rare treasure of art history. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e December 1884-January 1885 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Viewable canvas: 12” high x 9” wide (30.5 x 22.9 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Overall canvas: 13 3\/4\" high x 10 1\/4\" wide (35 x 26 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Framed: 23” high x 20 1\/4” wide x 2 1\/4” deep (58.4 x 51.4 x 5.7 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/rau-sfimages.s3.amazonaws.com\/dossier\/Dossier_32-2725.pdf\" target=\"new\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eView the Dossier\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e C. Mouwen, Jr., Breda, Netherlands\u003cbr\u003e Kunstzalen Oldenzeel, Rotterdam\u003cbr\u003e T.G.M. van Hettinga Tromp, The Hague\u003cbr\u003e Mrs. H.T. Feldmann-van Hettinga Tromp, Epse, Netherlands\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, Amsterdam\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, Japan (by 1984)\u003cbr\u003e Sale: Christie's New York, May 15, 1985, lot 8\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection\u003cbr\u003e Myron M. Kaplan, Englewood, New Jersey\u003cbr\u003e Michael Altman Fine Art \u0026amp; Advisory Services, New York (acquired by 2006)\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, acquired from the above in 2008\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Literature:\u003cbr\u003e J.-B. de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh, Paris, 1939, no. 170, illustrated\u003cbr\u003e J.-B. de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1970, no. 136a, illustrated p. 87\u003cbr\u003e J. Hulsker, The Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, New York, 1980, no. 548, listed and illustrated p. 127; mentioned p. 136 (titled Peasant Woman, Head)\u003cbr\u003e J. Hulsker, The Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, New York, 1984, no. 548, listed and illustrated p. 127; listed p. 496 (titled Peasant Woman, Head)\u003cbr\u003e I. Walther and R. Metzger, Vincent van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, vol. I, 1990, illustrated in color p. 74 (in reverse) (titled Head of a Peasant Woman with Dark Cap)\u003cbr\u003e J. Hulsker, The New Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, 1996, no. 548, listed p. 126; illustrated p. 127; mentioned p. 142 (titled Peasant Woman, Head) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Exhibited:\u003cbr\u003e Rotterdam, Kunstzalen Oldenzeel, \u003cem\u003eVincent van Gogh\u003c\/em\u003e, 1904, no. 15","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45208787517575,"sku":"32-2725","price":6850000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2725_1.png?v=1783725695","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/buste-de-paysanne-by-vincent-van-gogh","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}