498 To Anton Kerssemakers. Nuenen, early May 1885.

metadata

No. 498 (Brieven 1990 498, Complete Letters -)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Anton Kerssemakers
Date: Nuenen, early May 1885

Source status

Original manuscript

Location

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b879 V/1962

Date

There are few concrete data which help to date the letter precisely. It would, though, seem obvious to conclude that it was written following one of the meetings between Van Gogh and Kerssemakers. The word ‘more’ (l. 1*) suggests a recent contact, but they saw each other regularly during this period. If, however, the reason for Kerssemaker’s trip to Antwerp was the World Exhibition, which was staged there from 2 May to 2 November, the letter must date from May at the earliest. Van Gogh moreover sends a book by Hollidee. Since we assume that this is the same book he sent to Theo in Paris before the end of May – so that Theo had time to pass it on to Andries Bonger before 2 June (cf. n. 1) – we have dated the letter early May 1885.

original text

1r:1

Mijnheer,

Ziehier nog eenige boeken, dat van Rovers met het etsje van Israels1 zal U zeker bevallen en de teekeningen van Menzel ook.

Ik ben er erg blij om dat U eens in Antwerpen zijt geweest en er eens wat goede schilderijen hebt gezien.

Ik hoop wel dat het er van komen zal wij dezen zomer zamen er nog eens heengaan en dan tevens de moderne schilderijen in Brussel gaan zien, die superbe zijn mijns inziens.2

Ik denk wel in den loop van den zomer in de gelegenheid te zijn om het te doen.

Ik heb voor mij zelf noodig vooral het werk van de Groux, Meunier en enkele andere Belgen eens weer te zien.

Ik voeg bij de boeken nog houtsneden waarvan ik wel weet dat U ze bij mij reeds heeft gezien doch het kan geen kwaad U ze bij U t’huis nog eens op uw gemak weerziet.

4 heb ik dubbel, n.l. Renouard, Menzel, Heilbuth en Dagnan, die staan voorin in de portefeuille en kunt U behouden.

Na groete, achtend

Uw dr

Vincent

translation

1r:1

Dear Sir,

Here are a few more books; you’ll certainly like the one by Rovers with the little etching by Israëls,1 and the drawings by Menzel too.

I’m very glad that you’ve been to Antwerp and have seen some good paintings there.

I hope that it will work out so that we’ll be able to go there together this summer, and then at the same time go and see the modern paintings in Brussels, which in my view are superb.2

I think I’ll be in a position to do it in the course of the summer.

For my part, I particularly need to see the work of Degroux, Meunier and a few other Belgians again.

I’m enclosing with the books some woodcuts that I know you’ve already seen at my place, but it can do no harm for you to look at them again at leisure in your own home.

I have duplicates of 4, namely Renouard, Menzel, Heilbuth and Dagnan. They’re at the front of the portfolio and you can keep them.

I respectfully remain,

Your servant

Vincent

notes

1. Van Gogh is referring to the reproduction of a farmer facing the title page in the book H. Hollidee, Etsen naar het leven. Met een inleidend woord door A.C. Loffelt en een teekening van Israëls. Leiden 1881 (Etchings from life. With an introduction by A.C. Loffelt and a drawing by Israëls). Ill. 2136 . H. Hollidee is the pseudonym of Elard Albert Rovers. The collection contains seven novellas in which Rovers describes the North Brabant village life of his childhood. This slim volume evidently circulated, since Andries Bonger wrote to his parents not long afterwards: ‘Have you ever seen a little book: Etsen naar het leven, by H. Hollidee? If not, I can really recommend that you read them; they are very good’ (FR b1815, 2 June 1885).

2. The Musée Moderne was in the Palais Ducal. It had around 180 paintings by modern Belgian artists and by several foreigners. See Baedeker 1885, pp. 31-33. (Van Gogh added the word ‘modern’ (‘moderne’) later).