''The 'Laakmolen' near the Hague'' is a watercolor by Vincent van Gogh that he made in the summer of 1882. Formerly it was thought to have dated from his Etten period 1881. Following identification of the mill, historians now place it the year following.

Description

Both Hulsker and De La Faille place the work as done at Etten around October 1881. Hulsker notes that the work is not mentioned anywhere and is difficult to place.

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

, following Martha Op de Coul, date the watercolor as done later in summer 1882 after van Gogh had moved to The Hague. The mill is identified as the ' (), a well known mill on the way to Rijswijk, at that time a village near The Hague. The location is of considerable interest because in the summer of 1872 (i.e. some ten years earlier), Vincent's brother Theo had come to visit Vincent at The Hague and together they had walked to a mill at Rijswijk (presumed to be the ''Laakmolen'', one of just two at Rijswijk) where they drank milk together. It seems this walk held special emotional significance for Vincent, as he later referred to it several times in his letters to Theo. Biographers have suggested that at this time they made a pact together to pursue a career in art.

A view of The Hague from Rijswijk by P C La Fargue Circa 1765

The watercolor sold for £2,322,500 at Christies, London, on 23 June 2015. An earlier painting which shows the Laakmolen in a view of The Hague from Rijswijk by

Paulus Constantijn La Fargue Paulus Constantijn la Fargue, also Constantine Paul Lafargue, (The Hague, 5 January 1729 - 10 June 1782) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. La Fargue was born into an artistic family. His father Jean Thomas was a notary, translator and pam ...

circa 1765–1770. On the left is the theekoeppel where afternoon tea was taken. On the right shows the roof and tower of

Binckhorst Castle Binckhorst Castle is a 16th and 17th century manor built on top of a demolished medieval castle. Location Binckhorst Castle is located in The Hague city quarter of the same name. It used to be part of the now former Voorburg municipality till ...

. The tow path is the Cromvlietkade. In the distance prominent buildings of the Hague can be identified.Description confirmed by Charles Dumas 13 February 2019

References and sources

;References ;Sources * Op de Coul, Martha. De Laakmolen in Den Haag door Vincent van Gogh, '' Oud Holland - Quarterly for Dutch Art History'', Volume 104, Issue 3, pages 336 – 340, 1990
DOI: 10.1163/187501790X00183
* J.B. de la Faille, ''The Works of Vincent van Gogh: His Paintings and Drawings'', Amsterdam, 1970, no. F 844, pp. 317 & 644 (illustrated; titled 'The Windmill' and dated 'August 1881') * J. Hulsker, ''The New Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, Amsterdam'', 1996, no. 59, p. 24 * Naifeh, Steven and Smith, Gregory White. ''Van Gogh: the Life'', New York: Random House, 2011, p. 76. Paintings by Vincent van Gogh 1882 paintings {{19C-painting-stub

Description

See also

References and sources