1. This letter to Mr van Gogh is not known. It was probably agreed that Vincent would write to his father (cf. letter 375). It can be deduced from ll. 37-39 and from letter 381 that Vincent explained his relationship with Sien to his father, and intended to marry her. After visiting The Hague and Amsterdam Theo returned to Nuenen, where he received the present letter and was able to read the letter to his father.

2. Van Gogh comes back to this subject from letter 375.

3. Theo had suggested that Vincent and Sien should separate, on the grounds that this would be better both for Vincent’s work and for Sien; see letters 379 and 380.

4. Van Gogh had written about this moment, which occurred when Sien was giving birth in July 1882, in letter 313.

a. Means: ‘welwillend tegemoetkomt, tot steun is’ (approaches sympathetically, supportive).

5. It is not clear which work by Delacroix is meant here; two works – both lost – are known as Mater Dolorosa. By this title Van Gogh may mean the Pietà which he mentioned later and copied; he knew it from the lithograph by Célestin François Nanteuil-Leboeuf (see letter 686, n. 3). Cf. Johnson 1981-1989, vol. 3, pp. 284-285, cat. nos. L176 and L181.