001a To Hendrik Verzijl. The Hague, Saturday, 26 October 1872.

metadata

No. 001a (Brieven 1990 -, Complete Letters -)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Hendrik Verzijl
Date: The Hague, Saturday, 26 October 1872

Source status

Original manuscript

Location

’s-Hertogenbosch, BHIC, family archive De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen, 319, inv. no. 438

Date

Letter headed: ‘den Haag 26 Oct. 1872’

Additional

Below the signature are the words ‘WelEd. Heer H. Verzijl / Helvoirt / p.c.’ These lines must have been written after Van Gogh had folded the letter over twice. We regard them as an address, not as part of the letter. ‘p.c.’ is the abbreviation for ‘par couvert’, meaning that the letter was enclosed with another item, very probably a letter to Vincent’s parents, with the request that they pass it on to him.

Jansen et al. 2012.

original text

1r:1

den Haag 26 Oct. 1872

WelEd. Heer,

Tot mijn leedwezen ben ik geen van de door U opgegeven stukken kunnen machtig worden, daar zij allen hooger zijn gegaan dan de opgegeven prijzen.–1

Zij zijn allen gekocht door den Heer v. Stockum, die er commissie op scheen te hebben.

1v:2

Voor wien het was, weet ik niet, maar hoop dat toch wel te weten te komen, daar ik den zoon van den Heer v. Stockum ken & hij mij beloofd heeft er naar te informeeren.2

Zoodra ik er iets van hoor, zal ik het U schrijven. De verkooping was druk bezocht, & naar ik hoor, zijn er over het algemeen hooger prijzen besteed dan gewoonlijk.3

1v:3

Voor de opgegeven N^os is ongeveer f 30.– besteed.

Na U verzocht te hebben, mijne beleefde groeten aan de familie de Jong te doen,4 noem ik mij met de meeste achting

Uw Dw. Dienaar

V.W. van Gogh

translation

1r:1

The Hague, 26 Oct. 1872

Dear Sir,

I regret that I have been unable to obtain any of the items you specified, since they all fetched more than the prices specified.1

They were all purchased by Mr Van Stockum, who had apparently been acting on commission.

1v:2

I do not know for whom, but hope to be able to discover it, since I know Mr Van Stockum’s son and he has promised to make enquiries.2

As soon as I hear anything I shall write informing you.

The auction was very well attended, and I have heard that in general the prices paid were higher than usual.3

1v:3

Approximately 30 guilders was paid for the nos. specified.

With the request that you pay my respects to the De Jonge family,4 I am, yours faithfully,

Your obedient servant

V.W. van Gogh

notes

1. Van Gogh must have been asked to bid on Verzijl’s behalf at an auction in The Hague (see note 3).

2. On 30 April 1873 Willem van Stockum married Caroline van Haanebeek, who was related to the Van Gogh family. Vincent was in touch with the young couple at this time, and later corresponded with them from London. See letters 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.

3. Van Gogh must have visited the auction of books and prints from the estates of A.K. Kemper and J. de Vos, which took place from 21 to 29 October 1872 at the premises of W.P. van Stockum in The Hague. There is a copy of the auction catalogue in the University of Amsterdam Library, call number OTM: KVB NV 2223:3.

Van Stockum was the celebrated book dealer, publisher, antiquarian bookseller and auctioneer of Buitenhof in The Hague and the founder of the booksellers and publishers W.P. van Stockum en Zoon, on whom see http://www.vanstockum.nl/book/.

4. Verzijl was retired and had been lodging for some time in Jagtlust, a country house in Helvoirt belonging to the De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen family of Zwijnsbergen Castle. It seems that he had been employed as a tutor by the family at the end of his career. In February 1875 Verzijl was one of the 22 guests at the 53rd birthday party of the Reverend Theodorus van Gogh, who was on a friendly footing with the well-to-do residents and dignitaries in the village (FR b2320). He died at Jagtlust in 1881.