Walther and Metzger list Morning: Peasant Couple Going to Work (F 684, JH 1880) as "Whereabouts unknown: presumed destroyed in the Second World War". They include a colour reproduction which is extremely sharp and of excellent quality. Were there many good colour photographs taken of Van Gogh's works around 1940? Colour photography existed, of course, but wasn't widely used. Also, even if there was a good colour photograph taken, wouldn't the colours have faded over the last half century?
Similarly, The Painter on His Way to Work (F 448, JH 1491) also shows a good quality, colour graphic, but is also said to have been destroyed in World War II. Can anyone confirm this?
F 684/JH 1880 Peasant Couple Going to Work (After Millet)
'70 Faille
1. Page 268: Ltr 623
2. Page 638:
Provenance:
Mrs. J. van Gogh-Bonger, Amsterdam
Karl Osthaus, Hagen
Folkwang Museum, Essen [R 1910]
D. Komter Gallery, Amsterdam
Sale Amsterdam [Mak] 27 October 1925, nrr 123 [repr]
Paul Cassirer Art Gallery, Berlin
J. S. Goldschmidt Art Gallery, Berlin
Otto Krebs, Holzdorf
Present owner unknown
'84JH and '96JH: Location unknown
David Brooks comments: So both the '70 de la Faille and the '96 Hulsker list as "location unknown", while Walther and Metzger add "presumed destroyed in the Second World War". Can anyone confirm or refute the Walther and Metzger information?
F 448/JH 1491 Painter on His Way to Work
'70 Faille
1. Page 204: Ltr 524
2. Page 629:
Provenance:
Mrs. J. van Gogh-Bonger, Amsterdam
J. H. de Bois Art Gallery, Haarlem
Alfred Flechtheim Art Gallery, Dusseldorf [R1910]
Formerly Magdeburg, Kaiser Friedrich Museum [acquired 1912], inv nr G K 558
The painting was destroyed by fire in May 1945 together with the whole collection of the museum
'84JH and '96JH: Destroyed; Formerly Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Magdeburg
David Brooks comments: There's little doubt about this painting being destroyed in World War II, but the original question remains. How is it that such an excellent quality, colour photographic reproduction came to be? Colour photography wasn't used much at that time and so many of Vincent's works which were lost or destroyed up to this period are only in black and white. Does anyone know who originally took the colour photograph?
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