Courtesan (after Eisen)
Currently on view
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Paris, October-November 1887
oil on cotton, 100.7 cm x 60.7 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh based this painting on a woodcut by the Japanese artist Kesai Eisen. The print had been reproduced on the cover of the magazine Paris illustré in 1886. Van Gogh used a grid to copy and enlarge the Japanese figure. He used bright colours and bold outlines, as if it were a woodcut.
We can tell the woman is a courtesan by her hairstyle and the belt (obi) that she is wearing, which is tied at the front of her kimono rather than at the back. Van Gogh framed her with a pond full of water lilies, bamboo stems, cranes and frogs. This scene has a hidden meaning: grue (crane) and grenouille (frog) were French slang words for 'prostitute'.
- F-number
- F0373
- JH-number
- JH1298
- Object number
- s0116V1962
- Dimensions
- 100.7 cm x 60.7 cm, 117.5 cm x 77.5 cm
- Provenance
- Left by the artist at the apartment of his brother Theo van Gogh, Paris, October-November 1887; after his death on 25 January 1891, inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Paris; administered until her death on 2 September 1925 by Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Bussum/Amsterdam/Laren; given on loan by Jo van Gogh-Bonger to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, from 1917 to 1919; given on loan from Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, since 22 October 1931; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam, 10 July 1962; agreement concluded between the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and the State of the Netherlands, in which the preservation and management of the collection, and its placing in the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, to be realized in Amsterdam, is entrusted to the State, 21 July 1962; given on loan until the opening of the museum on 2 June 1973 to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh from 2 June 1973 and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh & Japan, 24 March 2018 - 24 June 2018
Kyoto, National Museum of Modern Art (Kyoto), Van Gogh & Japan, 20 January 2018 - 4 March 2018
Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Van Gogh & Japan, 24 October 2017 - 8 January 2018
Sapporo, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Van Gogh & Japan, 26 August 2017 - 15 October 2017
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh...Inspiration Japan, 15 February 2015 - 10 May 2015
Museum Folkwang, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh...Inspiration Japan, 27 September 2014 - 1 February 2015
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh aan het werk, 1 May 2013 - 13 January 2014
Denver Art Museum, Becoming Van Gogh, 21 October 2012 - 20 January 2013
Barcelona, Museu Picasso, Devorar París. Picasso 1900-1907, 1 July 2011 - 16 October 2011
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Pronkstukken uit keizerlijk Japan. Meiji-kunst uit de Khalili collectie, 7 July 2006 - 22 October 2006, no. zonder nr.
Nagoya, The Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Van Gogh in context, 26 July 2005 - 25 September 2005, no. 64
Ōsaka, National Museum of Art, Van Gogh in context, 31 May 2005 - 18 July 2005, no. 64
Tokyo, National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo), Van Gogh in context, 23 March 2005 - 22 May 2005, no. 64
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, La scala. De opera en de oriënt 1780-1930, 7 November 2003 - 8 February 2004
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Reflecties: Japan en japonisme, 19 May 2000 - 17 September 2000
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Van Gogh's Van Goghs. Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 17 January 1999 - 16 May 1999, no. 37
Washington, National Gallery of Art, Van Gogh's Van Goghs. Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 4 October 1998 - 3 January 1999, no. 37
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Imitatie & inspiratie. De invloed van Japan op de Nederlandse kunst, 25 April 1992 - 26 July 1992, no. 75
Tokyo, Suntory Museum of Art (Tokyo), Imitation and inspiration. Japanese influence on Dutch art from 1650 to the present, 3 October 1991 - 8 November 1991
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Japan : Van Gogh's Utopia, 7 June 1991 - 22 September 1991
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, 30 March 1990 - 29 July 1990, no. 33
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh in Arles, 18 October 1984 - 30 December 1984, no. 5
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Vincent van Gogh and the birth of cloisonism, 9 April 1981 - 14 June 1981, no. 10
Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism, 24 January 1981 - 22 March 1981, no. 10
Japan, Instelling onbekend, ?, 12 March 1976 - 29 June 1976
Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 25 January 1973 - 15 April 1973, no. 14
Strasbourg, Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain Strasbourg, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 22 October 1972 - 15 January 1973, no. 14
Bordeaux, Musée des Beaux-Arts (Bordeaux), Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 21 April 1972 - 20 June 1972, no. 13
Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam, 21 December 1971 - 10 April 1972, no. 51
London, Hayward Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam, 23 October 1968 - 12 January 1969, no. 78
Tokyo, National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo), Mutual influences between Japanese and Western arts, 7 September 1968 - 27 October 1968, no. zonder nr.
Wolfsburg, Stadthalle Wolfsburg, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, 18 February 1967 - 2 April 1967, no. 40
Berlin, Haus am Waldsee, Der Japonismus in der Malerei und Graphik des 19. Jahrhunderts, 26 September 1965 - 31 October 1965, no. 35
Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 7 February 1963 - 26 March 1963, no. 33
Detroit Institute of Arts, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 11 December 1962 - 29 January 1963, no. 33
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Carnegie Institute, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 18 October 1962 - 4 November 1962, no. 33
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 22 March 1962 - 29 April 1962, no. 33
Buffalo (New York), Albright Art Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 30 January 1962 - 11 March 1962, no. 33
Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 5 December 1961 - 14 January 1962, no. 33
Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, 18 October 1961 - 26 November 1961, no. 33
Bordeaux, Galerie des Beaux-Arts (Bordeaux), L'Europe et la découverte du monde, 20 May 1960 - 31 July 1960, no. 139
Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 1 February 1960 - 1 May 1960, no. 38
Paris, Musée Cernuschi, Orient-occident. Rencontres et influences durant cinquante siècles d'art, 1 November 1958 - 1 February 1959, no. 396
Marseille, Musée Cantini, Vincent van Gogh, 12 March 1957 - 28 April 1957, no. 37
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh, 24 June 1955 - 1 September 1955, no. 118
Antwerp, Zaal Comité voor Artistieke Werking, Vincent van Gogh, 7 May 1955 - 19 June 1955, no. 211
Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Vincent van Gogh, 27 November 1954 - 30 January 1955, no. 15
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Vincent van Gogh, 9 October 1954 - 21 November 1954, no. 21
Toledo (Ohio), Toledo Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 7 March 1954 - 30 April 1954, no. 83
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 2 January 1954 - 28 February 1954, no. 83
Saint Louis, City Art Museum of Saint Louis, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 17 October 1953 - 13 December 1953, no. 83
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Eeuwfeest Vincent van Gogh, 23 July 1953 - 20 September 1953, no. 87
Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum, Eeuwfeest Vincent van Gogh, 24 May 1953 - 19 July 1953, no. 87
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Vincent van Gogh, 30 March 1953 - 17 May 1953, no. 92
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Vincent van Gogh. Collectie ir. V.W. van Gogh, 12 October 1948 - 10 January 1949, no. 104
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh. Werken uit de verzameling van Ir. V.W. van Gogh, in bruikleen afgestaan aan de Gemeente Amsterdam, 14 February 1931 - 1 January 1931, no. 73
Utrecht, Vereeniging Voor de Kunst, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen door Vincent van Gogh, 1 May 1929 - 5 June 1929, no. 25
Leipzig, Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, Vincent van Gogh. Fünfunddreißig unbekannte Gemälde aus Privatbesitz, 24 February 1929 - 31 March 1929
Munich, Graphisches Kabinett (München), Vincent van Gogh. Fünfunddreißig unbekannte Gemälde aus Privatbesitz, 22 November 1928 - 24 December 1928, no. 17
Kestner-Gesellschaft, Vincent van Gogh. Fünfunddreißig unbekannte Gemälde aus Privatbesitz, 3 October 1928 - 11 November 1928
Vienna, Neue Galerie, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, 5 May 1928 - 17 June 1928, no. 22
Frankfurt am Main, Galerie M. Goldschmidt, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, 15 March 1928 - 15 April 1928, no. 24
Berlin, Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, 15 January 1928 - 1 March 1928, no. 35
New York, Montross Gallery, Vincent van Gogh Exhibition, 23 October 1920 - 31 December 1920, no. 38
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Tentoonstelling Vincent van Gogh, 15 July 1905 - 1 September 1905, no. 93
Sakai, Sakai City Museum, Hato Banri o Koete....: history of friendly exchange between the Netherlands and Japan
Ed. by Timothy J. Standring, Louis van Tilborgh ; with essays by Simon Kelly, Richard Kendall, Teio Meedendorp ... [et al.] ; with a contribution by Alisia Robin Coon, Becoming van Gogh, 2012, p. 38, 208, 258-259, 273
Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, Willem van Gulik, Keiko van Bremen-Ito ; with an introd. on Van Gogh's Utopian Japonisme by Tsukasa Kodera, Catalogue of the Van Gogh Museum's collection of Japanese prints, 1991, p. 13, 16-17
Samengesteld door W. Steenhoff, Catalogus Vincent van Gogh : werken uit de verzameling van Ir. V.W. van Gogh, in bruikleen afgestaan aan de Gemeente Amsterdam, 1931, p. 34
Jan Hulsker, The complete Van Gogh : paintings, drawings, sketches, 1980, p. 286, 289
The complete works of Vincent van Gogh, 1978, vol. 1, pl. 119
Hans Belting, Das unsichtbare Meisterwerk : die modernen Mythen der Kunst, 1998, p. 211
Ella Hendriks, C. Richard Johnson jr., Luuk van der Loeff ... [et al.], First international workshop on image processing for artist identification, 2007, p. 33, 62
Ella Hendriks, Fluent impasto in Van Gogh's Paris paintings (1886-1888) : a strategic effect?, p. 227, 230
[Willem van Gulik...et al.], Hato Banri o Koete....: history of friendly exchange between the Netherlands and Japan, 1989], p. 120
Thomas O. Beebee, The ideology of genre : a comparative study of generic instability, 1994, p. 113-117
Judikje Kiers, Fieke Tissink, Imitatie en inspiratie : japanse invloed op nederlandse kunst, p. 7
Ch. van Rappard-Boon ...[et al.], Imitation and inspiration : japanese influence on dutch art from 1650 to the present, 1991, p. 112
Met bijdrage van T. Akiyama ...[et al.] en Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, In het spoor van de liefde : Japans-Nederlandse ontmoetingen sinds 1600, 1986, p. 134
Maarten van Bommel, Muriel Geldof and Ella Hendriks, An investigation of organic red pigments used in paintings by Vincent van Gogh (November 1885 to February 1888), p. 120, 122, 124, 126
Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, Willem van Gulik, Keiko van Bremen-Ito ; with an introd. on Van Gogh's Utopian Japonisme by Tsukasa Kodera, Japanese prints : catalogue of the Van Gogh Museum's collection, 2006, p. 13, 50, 317
Chris Uhlenbeck; Louis van Tilborgh; Shigeru Oikawa, Japanese prints : The collection of Vincent van Gogh, 2018, p. 49-51
Foreword S.H. Levie ; articles by Willem van Gulik and Fred Orton, Japanese prints collected by Vincent van Gogh, 1978, p. 18
Gerhard Pulverer, Japanese woodblock prints and impressionism, p. 36
Chris Uhlenbeck; Louis van Tilborgh; Shigeru Oikawa, Japanse prenten : De collectie van Vincent van Gogh, 2018, p. 49-51
[Shuji Takashina ... et al.], Japonism in fashion, 1996, p. 208
I. Kaufman Arenberg, Killing Vincent : the man, the myth, and the murder, 2018, p. 23
Manuscript schilderijen Van Gogh catalogus J.-B. de la Faille 1939-1959, 1939-1959, p. 39
Text: Esther Darley, Renske Suijver, Masterpieces in the Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 78
Tekst: Esther Darley, Renske Suijver, Meesterwerken in het Van Gogh Museum, 2019, p. 78
Jenny Reynaerts, Mirror of reality : 19th-century painting in the Netherlands, 2019, p. 304-305
Sandra Gianfreda, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh ... : Japanese inspirations, 2014, p. 123, 353
Jan Hulsker, The new complete Van Gogh : paintings, drawings, sketches, 1996, p. 286, 288-289
Paris illustré : le japon
Marilyn McCully; met bijdragen van Nienke Bakker, Isabel Cendoya, Peter Read; onder redactie van Michael Raeburn, Picasso in Parijs : 1900-1907, 2011, p. 70-71, 241
Marilyn McCully; with contributions by Nienke Bakker, Isabel Cendoya, Peter Read; edited by Michael Raeburn, Picasso in Paris : 1900-1907 : eating fire, 2011, p. 70-71
Nienke Bakker, Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten ... [et al.], The real van Gogh : the artist and his letters, 2010, p. 114
Ed. by E. van Uitert and M. Hoyle; with contrib. from H. van Crimpen ... [et al.], The Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 1987, p. 202-203, 336
J.F. Heijbroek ; met medew. van Herbert Henkels, Het Rijksmuseum voor moderne kunst van Willem Steenhoff : werkelijkheid of utopie?, p. 208
Richard Bru, Malén Gual, Diana Widmaier Picasso ... [et al.], Secret images : Picasso and the Japanese erotic print, 2010, p. 32
Hiromitsu Ogawa, Sinoiserie around japonaiserie : a study of japonaiserie : Oiran (after Keisai Eisen) by Vincent van Gogh, p. 111-127
Jenny Reynaerts, Spiegel van de werkelijkheid : 19de-eeuwse schilderkunst in Nederland, 2019, p. 304-305
Takahiro Kitamura, Tattoos of the floating world : Ukiyo-e motifs in the Japanese tattoo, 2003
par Jean Leymarie, Van Gogh, [1951], p. 88, 100, 102
Ella Hendriks and Muriel Geldof, Van Gogh's Antwerp and Paris picture supports (1885-1888) reconstructing choices, p. 45, 52, 54, 60, 71
M.E. Tralbaut, Van Gogh's Japanisme, p. 22-30
[Marije Vellekoop], Van Gogh's Japonisme, p. 29
Eliza E. Rathbone, William H. Robinson, Elizabeth Steele ... [et al.] ; with contributions by Sylvia Albro, H. Travers Newton and Galina K. Olmsted, Van Gogh's repetitions, 2013, p. 8, 24, 51, 56-57, 172-173
Ed. by Marije Vellekoop, Ella Hendriks, Leo Jansen ... [et al.] ; Teio Meedendorp, Nienke Bakker, Maite van Dijk ... [et al.], Van Gogh's studio practice, 2013, p. 106, 167, 263, 302
Louis van Tilborgh; Nienke Bakker; Cornelia Homburg ... [et al.], Van Gogh & Japan, 2017, p. 8, 27, 30, 35, 38, 41, 47, 191
Gioia Mori, Van Gogh : il Giappone come utopia, p. 23
Edited by Chris Stolwijk ; With the assistance of Renske Suijver ; Texts by Helewise Berger, Esther Dieltjes, Ella Hendriks ... [et al.], Van Gogh : the adventure of becoming an artist, 2010, p. 256
Ed. by Cornelia Homburg ; Anabelle Kienle, Joseph J. Rishel, Jennifer A. Thompson ; with contributions by Rakhee Balaram, Noelle C. Paulson, Ulrich Pohlmann ... [et al.], Van Gogh : up close, 2012, p. 9, 36
Marije Vellekoop ; met bijdragen van Nienke Bakker, Maite van Dijk, Ella Hendriks ... [et al.], Van Gogh aan het werk, 2013, p. 138, 142
Marije Vellekoop ; with contrib. by Nienke Bakker, Maite van Dijk, Muriel Geldof... [et al.], Van Gogh at work, 2019, p. 138, 142
Door Jan Hulsker, Van Gogh en zijn weg : al zijn tekeningen en schilderijen in hun samenhang en ontwikkeling, cop. 1977, p. 286, 288, 289
Ronald Pickvance, Van Gogh in Arles, cop. 1984, p. 38-39
Keiko van Bremen-Ito, Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, Van Gogh in Japan and England : Van Gogh and the courtesan Nishikigi, p. 15-19
Keiko van Bremen-Ito, Charlotte van Rappard-Boon, Van Gogh in Japan en Engeland : Van Gogh en de courtisane Nishikigi, p. 15-19
Ronald de Leeuw, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, 1993, p. 172-173
Proceedings of the symposium conceived by Bice Curiger; Mark Alizart, Jean-Pierre Crique, Adrian Ghenie ... [et al.], Van Gogh pre-Pop, 2018, p. 148
Gabriel P. Weisberg, Wouter van der Veen, Sjraar van Heugten ... [et al.], Van Gogh rêves de Japon, 2012, p. 41
Mark Roskill, Van Gogh, Gauguin and French painting of the 1880s : a catalogue raisonné of key works, 1970, p. 20-21
Leo Jansen, Renske Suijver ; met een bijdrage van Ann Blokland, Vincent, 2012, p. 12-15
By J.B. de la Faille ; with a foreword by Charles Terrasse ; translated from the French by Prudence Montagu-Pollock, Vincent van Gogh, [s.a.], p. 187
L. Orton, Vincent van Gogh's "Japonisme", 1969], p. 21
Ten geleide van Ir. V.W. van Gogh, inl. Mark Edo Tralbaut, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) : leven en scheppen in beeld : documentaire tentoonstelling, 1958, [unpaged]
Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh : Die Gemälde 1886-1890 : Händler, Sammler, Ausstellungen : Die Frühen Provenienzen, 2009, p. 69, 285, 306
Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh : die Gemälde 1886-1890 : Händler, Sammler, Ausstellungen : die Frühen Provenienzen, 2009, p. 69
Vorwort von J.B. de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh : Gemälde, 1928, vol. 1, p. 105, vol. 2, pl. CII
Ed. by David Bomford ; with essays by Nienke Bakker, Renske Suijver, Renske Cohen Tervaert ; contr. by Helga K. Aurisch, Laura Minton, Dena M. Woodall, Vincent van Gogh : his life in art, 2019, p. 16
Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Vincent van Gogh : his Paris period 1886-1888, 1976, p. 47, 113-114, 235
Foreword Gabriel White ; notes Alan Bowness, Vincent van Gogh : paintings and drawings from the collection of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam, p. 65
Evert van Uitert, Louis van Tilborgh, Sjraar van Heugten, Vincent van Gogh : schilderijen, 1990, p. 96-97
Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh : the years in France : complete paintings 1886-1890 : dealers, collectors, exhibitions, provenance, 2013, p. 71
[texts Ronald de Leeuw...et al.], Vincent van Gogh and Japan, 1992, p. 82
Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Vincent van Gogh and the birth of Cloisonism, 1981, p. 114-115
[text : Sjraar van Heugten], Vincent van Gogh en de Japanse meesters, [1990], [unpaged]
Fred Orton, Vincent van Gogh in Paris : Vincent's interest in Japanese prints, p. 11
Ella Hendriks, Louis van Tilborgh ; with the assistance of Margriet van Eikema Hommes, Monique Hageman ; transl. by Michael Hoyle, Vincent van Gogh paintings : volume 2 : Antwerp & Paris 1885-1888, 2011, p. 495-501
J.B. de la Faille ; bijdragen van Abraham M. Hammacher en Jan G. van Gelder ; vert. van het artikel van A.M. Hammacher James Brockway, The works of Vincent van Gogh : his paintings and drawings, 1970, p. 173, 626
Gloria Fossi ; original photography by Danilo De Marco, Mario Dondero, In search of Van Gogh : capturing the life of the artist through photographs and paintings, 2021, p. 116-117, 120
