Faq

What about the Provenance?

The painting was discovered in a dilapidated inn in Belgium.

We know that Vincent lived in Belgium on a few occasions and frequented inns. Perhaps the painting was a trade, as he often did for food, lodging, tobacco, and Absinthe.

Antwerp, Belgium, where Vincent relocated to in November 1884, is only 25 miles from Vincent's place of birth and 60 miles from Neunen.

In January 1890, Vincent's paintings were exhibited at the Salon of Les Vingt in Brussels and again in February 1891.

Belgium was the first country receptive to Van Gogh's work in the late 1800s, and slowly other countries followed suit, so it stands to reason why his earlier works would be found gracing homes in Belgium.

One must also mention that not all of Vincent's paintings were publicly displayed because many were gracing the walls of private collectors; much like the painting Scène de rue à Montmartre (Street Scene in Montmartre), which had been in a private collection for over a century only to resurface and receive authentication more recently.

It is highly suggestible that provenance is associated with Vincent's student and good friend Eindhoven tanner, Anton Kerssemakers. I received an email in early 2021 informing me that the painting is part of a series owned by the Keunen family. The Keunen's are indirect descendants through marriage to Anton and own four Van Gogh/Kerssemakers collaborations found in Anton's Eindhoven house after he passed away.

The four paintings have been analyzed extensively over the years, and scientific research has determined the work of Vincent Van Gogh.

There is no question that the four paintings are by the same artist/s who created Farmhouse with Barn and Well.

Having been in contact with the agent for the Keunen family, I can say with certainty that the painting in question has Van Gogh's brushwork. I have promised not to share their findings but, this painting, or at least parts of it, is by Vincent van Gogh.

One other theory of how the painting ended up in Belgium may be attributed to the many Belgium refugees temporarily housed in Eindhoven during WWI, which of course, ties to both Vincent and Anton Kerssemakers.

What year do you think this was painted?

It's hard to determine for sure because Vincent did rework some of his painting's years later.

The green underpaint that seeps through was most likely applied during execution. The question is which pigment of green is it.

Vincent was introduced to emerald green by his favorite paint supplier, Petrus Joannes Tyck, when he moved to Antwerp in late 1885. He also began using a different type of canvas.

Paint pigment analysis will determine if the underlying green paint came before his move to Antwerp or after.

When Vincent moved to Paris, his choice of canvas changed again as his primary suppliers became Tasset et L'Hote and Pere Tanguy: He started using ready-made canvases in standard format, some stamped by the manufacturer or retailer.

Some of the stretcher bars were also stamped, as is the case with Portrait of Agostina Segatori.

Canvases also varied with regards to a particular weave pattern as well as warp and weft count. Then there are the rolls of primed canvas Vincent used during his Dutch period and again between 1888 - 1890. In this instance, Vincent cut several pieces from the same 5 or 10 m x 2.10 m roll, which he then stretched onto strainer bars made by a carpenter in Nuenen. Hence the non-standard size of some of Vincent's paintings.

Researchers can also pinpoint a timeline from the particular paints Vincent used; for example, Tanguy's paints were of poorer quality than all others, so paints used from this supplier can determine an approximate time frame.

Having researched the painting for almost two years, it appears to be linked with Van Gogh's friend and pupil Anton Kerssemakers. This would date the painting to between 1882-1885.

There is so much more that researchers can employ to determine authenticity and time frame. The measures above, combined with the information available from his correspondence to Theo, have proven invaluable to group and add or omit works to his oeuvre; However, when Vincent resided with Theo in Paris at 54 Rue Lepic, there would not have been any correspondence between the two.

Analytical methods used to identify colorants in art include:

Chromatographic techniques, Mass spectrometry, Multispectral imaging, Optical microscopy (PLM), Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive (or WDS) analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis, Infrared/Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and more.

In some of his Plein air works, Vincent used a tree resin additive called copaiva balsam because it slows down the drying process of oil painting and allows for a deeper saturation of color.

Please feel free to email with queries or input