2. Van Gogh had previously referred to ‘symphonies of colours’; this choice of words may derive from Charles Blanc, Grammaire des arts du dessin and Les artistes de mon temps See letter 537, n. 7.

3. In the 1880s François Joseph Delarebeyrette’s gallery was located at 43 rue de Provence in Paris. He was the leading dealer in Monticelli’s work. After his death in September 1886, his wife and his son Gabriel took over the running of the business. Theo and Reid regularly bought work by Monticelli there. See Fowle 2000, p. 94, and Nonne 2000, p. 42.

We do not know which of Monticelli’s flower pieces Van Gogh had seen at Delarebeyrette’s; in 1886 the gallery had some forty works by Monticelli in stock. See Alauzen and Ripert 1969, p. 447.

4. See for Gauguin’s The beach at Dieppe : letter 582, n. 5. Tersteeg had asked Theo to send him a number of ‘modern’ paintings (see letter 592). At the end of March 1888 Theo sent a consignment to the Hague branch. It contained one work each by Degas, Monet, Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Guillaumin, Gauguin, Van Gogh (The Seine with the Clichy bridge (F 303 / JH 1323

), after which is the letter sketch of the same name F - / JH 1324; see n. 9 below) and Toulouse-Lautrec, and two by Monticelli. See exhib. cat. Amsterdam 1999, p. 81. On 18 April Monticelli’s Women with jewellery (Femmes aux bijoux) was sold to the Amsterdam art dealer E.J. van Wisselingh; the other paintings remained unsold and were sent back to Paris on 9 June (RKD, Goupil Ledgers and Jampoller 1986, p. 51).

5. This exchange was discussed several times between March and July 1888, but does not seem to have gone ahead. Van Gogh had probably already exchanged work with Russell in Paris; see letter 569, n. 13. Russell’s Vincent van Gogh and the Seated female nude that has meanwhile been attributed to him (both Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum) may have been obtained by way of exchange. Russell owned two paintings by Van Gogh – only one of which, Shoes (F 332 / JH 1234), can now be identified – and one lithograph, ‘At eternity’s gate’ (F 1662 / JH 268

). See cat. Amsterdam 2011.

In August 1888 Van Gogh sent twelve drawings to Russell; see letters 652, n. 3 and 654, n. 1. This was not, though, related to the exchange suggested here.

6. Orchard with apricot trees in blossom (F 553 / JH 1387

) or Orchard with apricot trees in blossom (F 556 / JH 1383

). The description ‘fresh green’ is most applicable to the former work. Both paintings are of apricot trees (with thanks to Hans den Nijs, Experimental Plant Systematics, University of Amsterdam). The pink orchard (F 555 / JH 1380

) was painted later; see letter 594.

7. All that survives of this study is the fragment Walking couple (F 544 / JH 1369

). Van Gogh described the study in letter 587 to Bernard (which was enclosed with letter 588 to Theo), and made the letter sketch The Langlois bridge with walking couple (F - JH 1370) after it.

8. The Langlois bridge (F 400 / JH 1371

9. The Seine with the Clichy bridge (F 303 / JH 1323

10. Probably Grass and butterflies (F 460 / JH 1676

). The painting is now thought to belong to the Paris period (it had previously been dated to spring 1889). See cat. Amsterdam 2011.

11. Probably Poppies in a wheatfield (F 562 / JH 1483

), which likewise appears to date from the Paris period (previously dated June 1888). See cat. Amsterdam 2011.

12. Tersteeg’s trip to Paris took place a little later, in the first half of June: see letter 625.

13. Van Gogh exhibited three works at the Indépendants; see letter 582, n. 9. Angrand, Anquetin, Lucien Pissarro, Seurat and Signac also had work there.

14. Theo must have sent Vincent a copy of the catalogue, where it does indeed say ‘Van Gogh’, with Theo’s home address. See for the catalogue letter 582, n. 9.

15. These letters from Tersteeg and Russell do not appear to have survived.

16. See for the consignment n. 4 above; it did not include a work by Bernard. We have been unable to identify his ‘little head of a Breton woman’.

17. In his letters Van Gogh repeatedly accused Reid of not caring enough about living artists, and only being concerned with making money. See letters 591, 598 and 604.

18. Theo may have mentioned the rumours about the purchase of Seurat’s Models by the city of Paris in his previous letter. See exhib. cat. Paris 1991, p. 408.

19. A few hours before he left for Arles, on 19 February 1888, Vincent went with Theo to Seurat’s studio (see letter 695) at 128bis boulevard de Clichy. Models and A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte were probably among the large canvases they saw there; Van Gogh mentions them both in letter 710.