Adrianus Jacobus Zuyderland was Vincent van Gogh's favorite model during his Hague period. He appears in dozens of drawings, easily identified by his bald head and prominent white whiskers, and he was the model for the drawing which was the basis for van Gogh's later iconic painting ''

At Eternity's Gate ''Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)'' is an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh that he made in 1890 in Saint-Rémy de Provence based on an early lithograph. The painting was completed in early May at a time when he was convalescing from a se ...

''.

Background

Vincent van Gogh - Orphan Man with Long Overcoat and Umbrella, Seen from the Back (JH214)

He is first mentioned by van Gogh in a letter to

Anthon van Rappard Anthon Gerard Alexander van Rappard (14 May 1858, Zeist – 21 March 1892, Santpoort) was a Dutch painter and draughtsman. He was a pupil of Lawrence Alma-Tadema. He was also a friend and mentor of Vincent van Gogh for about four years, who is sai ...

, dated around 19 September 1882: "... I’ve also been painting and watercoloring, and in addition I’m drawing many figures from the model as well as scratches .e. 'sketches'on the street. Lately I’ve quite often had a man from the Old Men’s Home to pose. The "Old Men's Home" was the ''Nederlands Hervormd Oude-mannen-en-vrouwenhuis'' in the Om en Bij,

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, and Zuyderland was subsequently identified by W. J. A. Visser in their records from the identification tab 399 on his right arm that can be made out in ''Orphan Man with Top Hat'', and which also appears in a letter sketch (left).Hulsker, Jan. The Complete Van Gogh. Oxford: Phaidon, 1980. p. 60.

Background

References

Works

Letters

General

Further reading