拍品專文
Van Heugten and Pabst have located 61 impressions of this print, excluding the Warrington example sold in Christie's New York, 6 November 1996, lot 309. Besides those printed by Dr. Gachet, Van Gogh and Gachet fils, there were further impressions pulled by the master printer Eugène Delâtre, to whom Gachet fils had entrusted the plate.
Dr. Gachet was a friend of many Impressionist and Post Impressionist painters. He was himself an accomplished printmaker and printer, with his own press. Van Gogh's initial experiments with printmaking were confined to lithography, but Dr. Gachet persuaded him to make his first etching. Van Gogh sent impressions of the etching to his friend Gauguin and his brother Theo, eliciting the latter's enthusiastic response in a letter dated 23 June, 1990; 'And now I must tell you something about your etching. It is a true painter's etching. No refinement in the execution, but a drawing on metal. I find it a very beautiful drawing.'
Dr. Gachet was a friend of many Impressionist and Post Impressionist painters. He was himself an accomplished printmaker and printer, with his own press. Van Gogh's initial experiments with printmaking were confined to lithography, but Dr. Gachet persuaded him to make his first etching. Van Gogh sent impressions of the etching to his friend Gauguin and his brother Theo, eliciting the latter's enthusiastic response in a letter dated 23 June, 1990; 'And now I must tell you something about your etching. It is a true painter's etching. No refinement in the execution, but a drawing on metal. I find it a very beautiful drawing.'