a. Read: ‘Haan’.

1. In 1889 Gauguin had shown twelve works at the exhibition of Les Vingt. In 1890 Van Gogh exhibited six paintings.

2. Gauguin is referring to the exhibition of French and Scandinavian Impressionists, held by the Kunstforeningen (The Society of the Friends of Art) in Copenhagen from 31 October to 11 November 1889. Several of Gauguin’s early works were on display, as well as paintings by Manet, Degas, Cézanne, Pissarro, Sisley and Guillaumin from Gauguin’s collection, which he had left with his wife in Copenhagen. See Gauguin lettres 1983, p. 301.

The works that had been ‘refused’ is a reference to a small exhibition of Gauguin’s work held at the beginning of May 1885 at the Kunstforeningen. According to Gauguin, the exhibition was closed after five days by order of the Academy, and the press was forbidden to write about it. Exactly what happened is, however, unclear. See Correspondance Gauguin 1984, pp. 105, 413-414 (n. 173).

3. This is derived from a Latin saying handed down in many variants, of which the best known is ‘Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi, sed sepe cadendo’. See Walther 1963-1967, vol. 2, pp. 263-264, nos. 10505-10509.

4. Regarding Gauguin’s plan to go to Tonkin, see letter 840, n. 3.