Skip to main content

Primary sourceArtifact

Two Bookplates for Vincent van Gogh

Two etched ex libris bookplates made for an art dealer named Vincent van Gogh, each with a reading man and a coat of arms.

These bookplates were made for an art dealer named Vincent van Gogh, connecting the name to the family's art trade.

Ask Vincent van Gogh about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Print on cream paper showing two etched bookplates. The large upper-right plate reads EX LIBRIS and Vincent van Gogh, with a figure reclining beside an open book and a coat of arms. The smaller lower-left plate reads EX LIBRIS and Vincent van Gogh vertically, with a seated figure. Faint marks and stains fill the paper.
Two bookplates for Vincent van Gogh, etching. Rijksmuseum, Netherlands.

About this source

What it is

These are two etched bookplates (ex libris) made for an art dealer named Vincent van Gogh, each showing a figure with a book and a coat of arms. They are held today by the Rijksmuseum.

Why it matters

Bookplates like these were pasted inside books to mark ownership, and they tell us about the owner's profession and taste. Here the owner is identified as an art dealer, connecting this object to the world of the art trade that the Van Gogh family was part of, since Vincent van Gogh's relatives worked in art dealing.

Look closer

  • What do the images of a reading figure and a coat of arms suggest about how this owner wanted to be seen?
  • Why would someone commission a personalised bookplate instead of just writing their name in a book?
  • What does an object like this reveal about everyday life and status in this period?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vincent van Gogh on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Vincent van Gogh sources

Meet the AI Vincent van Gogh →
Painting of a swirling night sky with bright yellow crescent moon and stars rendered as glowing spirals over blue hills. A tall dark cypress tree stands at left above a small village with a church steeple.Painting

Primary source

The Starry Night

Vincent van Gogh · June 1889

Black-and-white etching of a man's head in profile facing left, eyes closed, with a bald crown, prominent nose, full beard along the jaw, and a dark background. Handwritten signature and inscription along the lower margin.Painting

Primary source

Vincent van Gogh, 29 July 1890

29 July 1890

Two handwritten letter pages in brown ink on aged paper, with crossed-out words and a signature reading Vincent. The right page includes a small pen-and-ink sketch of a family seated around a table in a dim room, with a hanging lamp above.Letter

Primary source

The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh · 1872-1890, published 1914

Oil painting of a vase of yellow sunflowers in various stages of bloom and wilt, against a yellow background, on a yellow tabletop. The cream-colored vase has the signature 'Vincent' and a blue rim.Painting

Primary source

Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh · 1888

Painting of a dim, lamp-lit peasant interior. A family of five sits around a table: four adults and a figure seen from behind in the center. They eat potatoes from a platter, and a teapot and cups sit on the table. A hanging lamp lights the scene.Painting

Primary source

The Potato Eaters

Vincent van Gogh · April-May 1885

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Vincent van Gogh now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions