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ESM-01
Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait, or Portrait of Theo van Gogh, 1887
Frame 39 × 47 × 6.5 cm (15.4 × 18.5 × 2.6 in)
The Object
A substantial 19th-century antique frame with rich carved gilding and 6.5 cm depth, sourced individually in Paris — weight, warmth, presence.
The Finished Object
The original hangs in Amsterdam. What you hang is an archival fine-art edition of that face, held in a 19th-century antique frame sourced separately in Paris. While the print itself is an edition, this specific antique frame is unique. The two are paired once and will never be repeated.
€ 8,500 · approx $9,800
Genuine 19th-century antique frame, sourced individually in Paris · Archival pigment print on fine-art paper · UV-protective glazing · Signed Certificate of Unique Pairing
Ships insured from Paris within one week · Fourteen days to live with it · Trade pricing available Inquire for Trade Pricing
Ships insured from Paris within one week · Fourteen days to live with it · Trade pricing available Inquire for Trade Pricing
The Work
The yellow hat catches the light before anything else does. Then the eyes — tired, patient, unguarded. You feel the warmth before you understand it.
The Van Gogh Museum lists the sitter as uncertain: Vincent, or Theo, the brother whose support made Vincent’s work possible. Catalogued for decades as a self-portrait, the attribution was reconsidered in 2011 in favour of Theo — who sent money every month, kept the paintings no one would buy, and wrote the letters that sustained his brother. Theo died six months after Vincent, at thirty-three. The question has never been closed.
The Van Gogh Museum lists the sitter as uncertain: Vincent, or Theo, the brother whose support made Vincent’s work possible. Catalogued for decades as a self-portrait, the attribution was reconsidered in 2011 in favour of Theo — who sent money every month, kept the paintings no one would buy, and wrote the letters that sustained his brother. Theo died six months after Vincent, at thirty-three. The question has never been closed.
The Pairing
The brushwork found the frame. The short, restless strokes that build this portrait echo the carved texture of the gilding — paint and surface speaking the same language. And there was a second reason. Vincent or Theo — whoever this is, he is the one who held the other together. This time, the gold is for him.
In the Space
Placed in a library or a quiet reading area — a face met at close range, and met again.
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