Giant Peacock Moth
Currently on view
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, May-June 1889
oil on canvas, 33.5 cm x 24.5 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
In May 1889 Vincent wrote to his brother Theo, 'Yesterday I drew a very large, rather rare night moth there which is called the death’s head, its coloration astonishingly distinguished: black, grey, white, shaded, and with glints of carmine or vaguely tending towards olive green; it’s very big. To paint it I would have had to kill it, and that would have been a shame since the animal was so beautiful.'
Later he decided to paint the moth after all, using his drawing as a model. Van Gogh called it a 'death's-head moth' and depicted a kind of skull on the back of its body. It was actually a giant peacock moth, however – a species that has only stripes there.
- F-number
- F0610
- JH-number
- JH1702
- Object number
- s0189V1962
- Dimensions
- 33.5 cm x 24.5 cm, 52 cm x 42 cm, 8.5 cm
- Provenance
- With his brother Theo van Gogh, Paris, after June 1889; after his death on 25 January 1891, inherited by his widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, and their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Paris; administered until her death on 2 September 1925 by Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Bussum/Amsterdam/Laren; transferred by Vincent Willem van Gogh, Laren, on 10 July 1962 to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Amsterdam; agreement concluded between the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and the State of the Netherlands, in which the preservation and management of the collection, and its placing in the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, to be realized in Amsterdam, is entrusted to the State, 21 July 1962; given on loan until the opening of the museum on 2 June 1973 to the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh from 2 June 1973 and at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
- artist
- Vincent van Gogh
- Credits (obliged to state)
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Arles, Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, Souffler de son souffle, 27 November 2021-1 May 2022, no. zonder nr.
Arles, Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, Laura Owens & Vincent van Gogh, 19 June-31 October 2021, no. zonder nr.
Vienna, Kunstforum Wien, Faszination Japan. Monet-Van Gogh-Klimt, 10 October 2018-20 January 2019, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh & Japan, 24 March-24 June 2018, no. zonder nr.
Kyoto, National Museum of Modern Art (Kyoto), Van Gogh & Japan, 20 January-4 March 2018, no. zonder nr.
Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Van Gogh & Japan, 24 October 2017-8 January 2018, no. zonder nr.
Sapporo, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Van Gogh & Japan, 26 August-15 October 2017, no. zonder nr.
Williamstown, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Van Gogh and Nature, 14 June-13 September 2015, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Hermitage Amsterdam, Vincent. Het Van Gogh Museum in de Hermitage Amsterdam, 29 September 2012-25 April 2013, no. 95
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Van Gogh: Up Close, 25 May-3 September 2012, no. zonder nr.
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Van Gogh: Up Close, 26 January-6 May 2012, no. zonder nr.
Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Tierschau. Wie unser Bild vom Tier entstand, 16 March-5 August 2007, no. zonder nr.
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Carnegie Museum of Art, Fierce Friends. Artists & Animals in the Industrial Era 1750-1900, 25 March-27 August 2006, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Beestachtig mooi. Kijken naar dieren 1750-1900, 5 October 2005-5 February 2006, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh koopt bij Bing / Van Gogh buys at Bing's, 26 November 2004-27 February 2005, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Gogh Modern. Vincent van Gogh en de hedendaagse kunst, 27 June-12 October 2003, no. zonder nr.
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Van de schoonheid en de troost, 13 May-16 July 2000, no. zonder nr.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Van Gogh's Van Goghs. Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 17 January-16 May 1999, no. 61
Washington, National Gallery of Art, Van Gogh's Van Goghs. Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 4 October 1998-3 January 1999, no. 61
Tokyo, Setagaya Art Museum, Vincent van Gogh and Japan, 4 April-24 May 1992, no. 24
Kyoto, National Museum of Modern Art (Kyoto), Vincent van Gogh and Japan, 18 February-29 March 1992, no. 24
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Japan : Van Gogh's Utopia, 7 June-22 September 1991, no. zonder nr.
Ōsaka, National Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh from Dutch collections. Religion, humanity, nature, 21 February-31 March 1986, no. 44
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh en zijn Franse vrienden. Het cloisonisme als stijl 1886-1891, 9 April-14 June 1981, no. 37
Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism, 24 January-22 March 1981, no. 37
London, Hayward Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam, 23 October 1968-12 January 1969, no. 153
Wolfsburg, Stadthalle Wolfsburg, Vincent van Gogh. Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, 18 February-2 April 1967, no. 58
Utrecht, Centraal Museum, Vincent van Gogh schilderijen en tekeningen, verzameling Ir. V.W. van Gogh, 18 December 1959-1 February 1960, no. 48
Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 7 March-19 April 1959, no. 61
Portland (Oregon), Portland Art Museum (Oregon), Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 28 January-1 March 1959, no. 61
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 10 December 1958-18 January 1959, no. 61
San Francisco, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, 6 October-30 November 1958, no. 61
Mons, Museum voor Schoone Kunsten, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Son art et ses amis, 22 March-5 May 1958, no. 41
Deventer, De Muntentoren, Schilderijen van Vincent van Gogh, 31 January-20 February 1958, no. 28
Schiedam, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Vincent van Gogh, 21 December 1957-27 January 1958, no. 38
Leiden, Museum De Lakenhal, Vincent van Gogh, 9 November-16 December 1957, no. 38
Marseille, Musée Cantini, Vincent van Gogh, 12 March-28 April 1957, no. 68
Breda, Cultureel Centrum De Beyerd, Vincent van Gogh, 2-24 February 1957, no. 72
Newcastle upon Tyne, Laing Art Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings & Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh, 11 February-24 March 1956, no. 59
Manchester (England), Manchester City Art Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings & Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh, 17 December 1955-4 February 1956, no. 59
Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Vincent van Gogh. Paintings & Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh, 29 October-10 December 1955, no. 59
Antwerp, Zaal Comité voor Artistieke Werking, Vincent van Gogh, 7 May-19 June 1955, no. 307
Bern, Kunstmuseum (Bern), Vincent van Gogh, 27 November 1954-30 January 1955, no. 52
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Vincent van Gogh, 9 October-21 November 1954, no. 54
Toledo (Ohio), Toledo Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 7 March-30 April 1954, no. 134
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 2 January-28 February 1954, no. 134
Saint Louis, City Art Museum of Saint Louis, Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890, 17 October-13 December 1953, no. 134
Hoensbroek, Kasteel Hoensbroek, Vincent van Gogh, 23 May-27 July 1953, no. 46
Zundert, Parochiehuis, Vincent van Gogh in Zundert, 30 March-20 April 1953, no. 30
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Hôtel de Sade, Vincent van Gogh en Provence, 5-27 May 1951, no. 57
Grenoble, Musée de Grenoble, Vincent van Gogh, 30 March-2 May 1951, no. 57
Lyon, Musée de Lyon, Vincent van Gogh, 5 February-27 March 1951, no. 57
Middelburg, Kunstmuseum Middelburg, Van Gogh-tentoonstelling, 9 April-1 May 1949, no. 29
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Vincent van Gogh. Collectie ir. V.W. van Gogh, 12 October 1948-10 January 1949, no. 141
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Vincent van Gogh, 24 April-15 May 1948, no. 42
Bergen (Norway), Kunstforening, Vincent van Gogh, 23 March-18 April 1948, no. 42
Groningen, Museum van Oudheden, Vincent van Gogh, 18 October-16 November 1947, no. 75
Paris, Les nouveaux musées, Quai de Tokio, La vie et l'oeuvre de Van Gogh, June-October 1937, no. 56
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijdgenooten, 6 September-2 November 1930, no. 76
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Tentoonstelling Vincent van Gogh, 15 July-1 September 1905, no. 198
Janson, H.W., Rosenblum, Robert, Art of the nineteenth century : painting and sculpture, cop. 1984, p. 415