1. Vincent had written this in letter 712, in response to which Theo expressed his concern about Vincent’s health in letter 713.

2. Sower (F 494 / JH 1617 ). This is the ‘new Sower’ that Vincent refers to later in the letter.

3. Van Gogh must be referring here to the two no. 30 canvases of sunflowers that he had earmarked for his decoration: Sunflowers in a vase (F 456 / JH 1561 ) and Sunflowers in a vase (F 454 / JH 1562 ). Cf. letter 703.

4. The bedroom (F 482 / JH 1608 ).

5. On 27 October Gauguin had told Theo that he wanted to use the first few days ‘to acquaint myself with the character of the country’ (pour m’initier au caractère du pays). See Correspondance Gauguin 1984, p. 266. Van Gogh must mean that Gauguin had succeeded in capturing his idea of the Arlésienne in a sketch – possibly the drawing of an Arlésienne in his sketchbook (Jerusalem, The Israel Museum), published as Le carnet de Paul Gauguin (1952). Gauguin’s drawing and painting of Madame Ginoux were done a week later, so they cannot be what is meant here.

a. Read: ‘pouvoir’.