Van Gogh painted Congregation leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen shortly after he had moved in with his parents again in Nuenen, at the beginning of 1884. He reworked it later in 1885. The painting was a gift to his ill mother. It not only shows the church his father preached in, but also bears a reference to his death. This strong biographical link gives the painting a special emotional value within the collection of the Van Gogh Museum.
Condition after its return
Congregation leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen had returned to the Van Gogh Museum in an unexpected, rather stable physical condition. However, it was decided to thoroughly examine and possibly treat the painting prior to re-integrating it together with Seascape at Scheveningen in the permanent collection. Main reason for this was that an aged, glossy and yellowed varnish on the surface interfered with the colour scheme as it was originally intended by Van Gogh.
