1. Van Gogh had sent six drawings shortly before; see letter 641, n. 1. Most of the drawings in the two batches have been identified. In addition to the two listed in letter 641, Zouave (F 1482 / JH 1487 [2656]) and Newly mown lawn with a weeping tree (F 1450 / JH 1509 [2667]), Roskill has identified a further 11 drawings, but it is impossible to say which was in which batch. They are Fishing boats at sea (F 1430 / JH 1505 [3043]), Row of cottages in Saintes-Maries (F 1435 / JH 1506 [3044]), Sower with setting sun (F 1442 / JH 1508 [3045]), Canal with bridge and washerwomen (F 1444 / JH 1507 [3046]), The harvest (F 1485 / JH 1540 [3047]), Wheatfield (F 1481 / JH 1515 [3048]), Wheatfield with sheaves (F 1488 / JH 1517 [3049]), The Trinquetaille bridge (F 1507 / JH 1469 [3050]), Rocks with a tree (F 1554 / JH 1518 [3051]), Wheat stacks (F 1426 / JH 1514 [3052]) and Arles seen from the wheatfields (F 1491 / JH 1516 [3053]). See Roskill 1971, pp. 142-155.
The Langlois bridge with a lady with a parasol (F 1471 / JH 1420 [3054]) and Wheatfield with setting sun (F 1514 / JH 1546 [3055]) also belonged to Bernard, and were probably sent in one of the July batches. See exhib. cat. Amsterdam 2005, pp. 204, 250, 269-272.
Roskill also mentions Mousmé (F 1504 / JH 1520), which belonged to Bernard (cf. Roskill 1971, p. 174), but according to Pickvance – and we agree – Van Gogh did not make this drawing until later, after finishing the painting. That is also clear from letter 655 of about 5 August, in which Van Gogh reports ‘have not yet found time for figure sketches’.
On the basis of letter 665, Pickvance believed that Van Gogh sent Bernard Mousmé and Joseph Roulin (F 1723 / JH 1523) in the first half of August 1888. However, there is no evidence that Bernard ever had the latter drawing.
The illustrations of drawings published with the excerpts from the letters in Mercure de France and in the illustrations section in the Vollard edition of the letters to Bernard are of no assistance in fleshing out the above information.
[2656] [2667] [3043] [3044] [3045] [3046] [3047] [3048] [3049] [3050] [3051] [3052] [3053] [3054] [3055]
2. Bernard must have responded to what Van Gogh had written two letters previously: ‘Ah, if several painters agreed to collaborate on great things’ (letter 633 of 27 June).
3. There are not many ‘rutting and impassioned’ animals to be found in Potter’s oeuvre, at most a bull mounting a cow or a quadruped urinating.
4. See for this reference to Zola’s Mes haines: letter 361, n. 9.
5. Luke the evangelist was the patron saint of painters. The guilds of St Luke, which began springing up in the fifteenth century, drew up statutes in consultation with the local authority that closely regulated the training and defined the rights and duties of painters. The guilds had to guarantee that apprentices received a proper training, and were obliged to look after the welfare of their members. See G.J. Hoogewerff, De geschiedenis van de St. Lucasgilden in Nederland. Amsterdam 1947.
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