Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)(Attributed*): Portrait Study of Madame Trabuc, signed Vincent. Verso bears the stamp "Exposition Permanente, Paiais Galerie, Paris" and a reference number. Tempera and gouache on bond paper. The painting is accompanied by a certificate from van Hassel Galeri, Rotterdam, Holland.

This painting is possible a study for Portrait of Madame Trabuc, painted by Vincent van Gogh in1889 while he was in Saint-rémy-de-provence, France. Portrait of Madame Trabuc is now in the collection of The Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Vincent van Gogh painted a few portraits while at the asylum in Saint-Remy. One of the portraits is of Francois Trabuc, the chief orderly, or overseer, at Saint-Paul. Another is of his wife, Jeanne Lafuye Trabuc. On September 5th or 6th of 1889 Van Gogh wrote to his brother about the portrait and Mr. Trabuc: “Yesterday I began the portrait of the chief attendant, and I may do his wife as well, since he is married and lives in a little farmhouse a stone’s throw from the institution…” In a following letter he wrote: “I’ve done the portrait of the attendant [Lost painting] and have got a copy of it for you……he has a military air and small, lively, black eyes. I have given it to him, and I’ll do his wife as well, if she wants to pose.”

Not much information is available about François Trabuc’s wife. Her name was Jeanne Lafuye Trabuc (1834-1903), and she was 55 years old when Van Gogh painted her portrait. Van Gogh described Madame Trabuc in the September 7thletter to Theo: “She is a woman whose looks have faded, a poor soul, resigned to her fate, nothing out of the ordinary and so insignificant that I simply long to paint that dusty blade of grass. I talked to her sometimes when I was doing some olive trees behind their little house…” Upon completing the painting of Jeanne, Van Gogh wrote to his sister, Wilhelmina, on September 19, 1889 saying, “The other day I finished the portrait of a woman upward of forty years old, an insignificant woman. The withered face is tired, pockmarked – a sunburned, olive-coloured complexion, black hair. A faded black dress relieved by a geranium of a delicate pink, and the background in a neutral tone, between pink and green.”

A reference photo is included with this catalog listing. It is not included in the sale.

  • Provenance: Private Collection, USA
  • Dimensions: 10.25x7.75 inches
  • Medium: Tempera
  • Notes: *This lot is listed as attributed because it has a partial or missing provenance. Attributions and identifications are based in part on our careful study and are not guaranteed. Unless stated otherwise in the catalog description, no further provenance or additional information is currently available for this lot. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions prior to bidding. Color fidelity of photos presented is not guaranteed. Lack of a condition statement does not imply that a lot is perfect. Please examine photos, read descriptions, and contact the Gallery with any questions prior to bidding.

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