2. Van Gogh wanted to ask John Peter Russell, whom he had got to know in Paris, to buy a painting from Gauguin. He repeatedly returned to this question; Russell, however, was non-committal, as we learn from letters 616, 650 and 679.

3. We do not know which of Gauguin’s works this was, but there is a good chance that it was one of the five paintings that Theo had on commission. See letter 581, n. 2.

4. It emerges from letter 583 that on second thoughts Van Gogh wrote to Gauguin direct rather than enclosing a letter for him.

5. Paul Gauguin, The beach at Dieppe, 1885 (Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek; W178/W166). Ill. 2143

. This work had been on commission with Boussod, Valadon & Cie since December 1887; see letter 581, n. 2. Theo sent it to the Hague branch in March 1888. See letter 589, n. 4.

6. Koning – Van Gogh refers to him as ‘young’ – was 27 at this time.

7. In his letters Van Gogh repeatedly used the image of a worn-out cab-horse as a metaphor for the hard life of man in general and the artist in particular. See e.g. letters 148, 211, 599 and 611. In the Netherlands he had read the poetry of François Coppée, who had written a poem, ‘Cheval de Renfort’, about it (from the collection Le cahier rouge). See Coppée 1880, p. 163.

8. The fourth exhibition of the Société des Artistes Indépendants was due to be staged in Paris from 22 March to 3 May 1888. This society, founded in 1884 by Odilon Redon, Albert Dubois-Pillet, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Charles Angrand and Henri Edmond Cross, invited artists to exhibit at its alternative Salon, where the works were not adjudicated.

9. These landscapes are Montmartre: behind the Moulin de la Galette (F 316 / JH 1246

) and Vegetable gardens in Montmartre (F 350 / JH 1245

). The third work Theo chose was Piles of French novels and roses in a glass (‘Romans parisiens’) (F 359 / JH 1332

); see letter 584, n. 13. See Société des Artistes Indépendants. Catalogue des Oeuvres exposés. 4e Exposition. Exhib. cat. Paris 1888, p. 42, cat. nos. 658-660.

Theo interpreted Vincent’s offhand attitude towards the selection of the works as a sign that he did not really care about being represented at this exhibition: ‘He himself doesn’t attach much importance to this exhibition, but here, where there are so many painters, it’s essential to make himself known and the exhibition is the best means of doing it’ (FR b915, Theo to Willemien, 14 March 1888).

10. Landscape with snow (F 391 / JH 1358

); cf. for this identification: letter 578, n. 13.

11. Sprig of almond blossom in a glass (F 392 / JH 1361

) and Sprig of almond blossom in a glass (F 393 / JH 1362

); they both measure 24 x 19 cm.

12. This enclosed letter to Koning is not known. Theo told Willemien about Koning in his letter of 14 March 1888: ‘It still seems strange to me that he [Vincent] has gone, he was so important to me in recent times. Now the studio will soon be occupied again, by a young Dutch painter, but he has by no means as much talent as Vincent, although he’s not bad’ (FR b915).