False Impression

Author’s note

Although Van Gogh cut off part of his left ear with a razor following a row with Gauguin, it still remains a mystery why his right ear is covered with a bandage in both self-portraits.

Art historians, including Louis van Tilborgh, Curator of Paintings at the Van Gogh Museum, are convinced that the artist painted the picture while looking in a mirror.

Tilborgh points out that Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in September 1888, after buying a mirror to help him with his work (letter number 685 in the 1990 edition of Van Gogh’s letters, and number 537 in the 1953 (English) edition of his correspondence).

The mirror was left at Arles when the artist moved on to Saint-Remy. However, Van Gogh wrote another letter to J. Ginoux (May 11, 1890, 634a in the English edition, 872 in the Dutch edition), asking Ginoux to “take good care of the mirror.”

Van Gogh is known to have painted two self-portraits with bandaged ear. One can be viewed at the Courtauld Institute at Somerset House in London. The second remains in a private collection.

From Van Gogh’s letter to his brother, Theo, September 17, 1888

Copyright © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent Van Gogh Foundation)

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