Oil on canvas on panel
39 × 41.5 cm (15.25 × 16.25 in)
Kröller-Müller Museum
Otterlo
Netherlands
Europe
Painted September 1885, Nuenen
F 63, JH 920
Originally the catalogue raisonné devised by Jacob Baart de la Faille dated this painting as late 1881, under the tutelage of the painter Anton Mauve while living in The Hague. Just as several of the other paintings done at the time that Vincent lived in Etten and The Hague, this piece seemed to be the result of Anton Mauve's art lessons. Vincent mentions paintings of this nature in a letter written in early December 1881, as seen in the excerpt below.
"Well, Mauve immediately installed me in front of a still life consisting of a couple of old clogs and other objects, and so I could set to work."
To Theo van Gogh, 1-3 December 1881
The later work of Jan Hulsker developed a newer catalogue raisonné that has focused more on the proper chronology of all of Vincent's works, and he has dated the work as being painted in Nuenen in September 1885. As this is the latest estimate and the result of ongoing research we have followed suit in accepting this later date.
ALSO KNOWN AS
Still Life With Bottle, Clogs, and Pot With Brushes
PROVENANCE
C. Mensink, The Hague, Netherlands;
Sale Amsterdam (F. Muller) 12 November 1912;
Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo, Netherlands.
