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The Drinkers

by Artist-Unknown

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oil paint (paint)73 × 59 Cm

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About the artwork

Artist supplied description.

During his time in the Asylum of Saint-Paul in Saint-Rémy, a small town near Arles, Vincent van Gogh made a number of copies of the work of artists he admired, which freed him from having to produce original compositions and allowed him to concentrate instead on interpretation. For this image, Van Gogh copied a wood engraving from Honoré Daumier’s Drinkers, a parody on the four ages of man. The exaggerated figure types capture Daumier’s characteristic humor and convey his sad message about the horrors of alcoholism. The greenish palette may well be an allusion to the notorious alcoholic drink absinthe.

This is one of thirty-five works that comprise the Winterbotham Collection. Click here to learn more about the collection.

Artwork metadata

Structured fields synced from connected systems.

Medium	oil paint (paint)
Dimensions	73 × 59 Cm
Tags	drinkingpitchertablecloudsworkhatsfactoryalcoholmenleisure
Certificate	Certificate not provided

Timeline

Chain of custody, exhibitions, and verification milestones synced from the provenance service.

Wed

Jan

note

copy in curatorial object file]

2026 at 08:25 PM

copy in curatorial object file]

Wed

Jan

note

The artist

2026 at 08:25 PM

The artist

Wed

Jan

note

sent to his brother, Theo van Gogh (died 1891)

2026 at 08:25 PM

sent to his brother, Theo van Gogh (died 1891)

Wed

Jan

note

Stefan Koldehoff and Chris Stolwijk, eds., The Thannhauser Gallery: Marketing Van Gogh

2026 at 08:17 PM

Stefan Koldehoff and Chris Stolwijk, eds., The Thannhauser Gallery: Marketing Van Gogh (Brussels: Mercatorfonds; Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, 2017), 52, 70, 71, 237 no. 70, 237 (ill.).

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh at Work, Sep. 1, 2013-Jan. 13, 2014, cat. 284.

2026 at 08:13 PM

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh at Work, Sep. 1, 2013-Jan. 13, 2014, cat. 284.

Wed

Jan

note

Cornelia Homburg, ed., Vincent van Gogh: Timeless Country – Modern City. exh. cat.

2026 at 08:10 PM

Cornelia Homburg, ed., Vincent van Gogh: Timeless Country – Modern City. exh. cat. (Milan: Skira, 2010), 27, 190 cat 86, 201, 267.

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Rome, Complesso Monumentale dell Vittoriano, Vincent Van Gogh: Timeless Country – Modern City, 8 Oct. 2010 – 6 Feb. 2011, cat. 86, as The Drinkers or The Four Ages of Man.

2026 at 08:10 PM

Rome, Complesso Monumentale dell Vittoriano, Vincent Van Gogh: Timeless Country – Modern City, 8 Oct. 2010 – 6 Feb. 2011, cat. 86, as The Drinkers or The Four Ages of Man.

Wed

Jan

note

Walter Feilchendeldt, Vincent van Gogh, Die Gemälde 1886–1890, Händler, Sammler

2026 at 08:09 PM

Walter Feilchendeldt, Vincent van Gogh, Die Gemälde 1886–1890, Händler, Sammler (Wädenswil: Nimbus Kunst und Bücher, 2009), 200 (ill.), 287, 295, 299, 302.

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Budapest, Sveepmuvesti Museum, Van Gogh in Budapest, Dec. 1, 2006—Apr. 1, 2007, cat. 69.

2026 at 08:06 PM

Budapest, Sveepmuvesti Museum, Van Gogh in Budapest, Dec. 1, 2006—Apr. 1, 2007, cat. 69.

Wed

Jan

note

Belinda Thomson, Van Gogh

2026 at 08:01 PM

Belinda Thomson, Van Gogh (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New York: distributed by Harry N. Abrams, 2001), 77, 84, pl. 14.

Wed

Jan

note

"Recent Purchases and Gifts," Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 47, no. 4

2026 at 07:53 PM

"Recent Purchases and Gifts," Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 47, no. 4 (November 1953): 73 (ill.).

Wed

Jan

note

given by Joseph Winterbotham to the Art Institute, 1953.

2026 at 07:53 PM

given by Joseph Winterbotham to the Art Institute, 1953.

Wed

Jan

note

"Accessions of American and Canadian Museums, Apr.–June 1953," Art Quarterly 16

2026 at 07:53 PM

"Accessions of American and Canadian Museums, Apr.–June 1953," Art Quarterly 16 (1953): 348, 356 (ill.).

Wed

Jan

note

Jacob-Baart de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh, trans. Charles Terrasse

2026 at 07:39 PM

Jacob-Baart de la Faille, Vincent van Gogh, trans. Charles Terrasse (New York: French and European Publications; Paris: Hyperion Press, 1939), 473 fig. 687, 568.

Wed

Jan

note

W. Scherjon and W[illiam] J[osiah] de Gruyter, Vincent van Gogh’s Great Period: Arles, St. Remy and Auvers sur Oise

2026 at 07:37 PM

W. Scherjon and W[illiam] J[osiah] de Gruyter, Vincent van Gogh’s Great Period: Arles, St. Remy and Auvers sur Oise (Amsterdam: De Spieghel, 1937), 291, no. 97.

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Chicago, Arts Club, Exhibition of the Joseph Winterbotham Collection, Dec. 9–31, 1936, cat. 44.

2026 at 07:36 PM

Chicago, Arts Club, Exhibition of the Joseph Winterbotham Collection, Dec. 9–31, 1936, cat. 44.

Wed

Jan

note

Wilhelm Uhde, Vincent van Gogh

2026 at 07:36 PM

Wilhelm Uhde, Vincent van Gogh (Vienna: The Phaidon Press; London: G. Allen and Unwin, 1936), 16–17, pl. 80.

Wed

Jan

note

sold to Joseph Winterbotham, Jr....

2026 at 07:33 PM

sold to Joseph Winterbotham, Jr. (died 1954), Burlington, Vt., before Nov. 13, 1933 [purchase from Thannhauser is implied by context on working list cited above]

Wed

Jan

note

by descent, until 1931....

2026 at 07:31 PM

by descent, until 1931. Probably given on consignment to Galerie Thannhauser, Munich and Berlin, Apr. 1931 [according to annotated working list prepared for the Arts Club exhibition, Chicago 1936

Wed

Jan

note

Vincent van Gogh, Further Letters of Vincent van Gogh to His Brother, 1886–1889

2026 at 07:29 PM

Vincent van Gogh, Further Letters of Vincent van Gogh to His Brother, 1886–1889 (London: Constable; Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1929), vol. 2, 430 letter no. 623, 437 letter no. 626.

Wed

Jan

note

Jacob Baart de la Faille, L’Oeuvre de Vincent van Gogh: catalogue raisonné

2026 at 07:28 PM

Jacob Baart de la Faille, L’Oeuvre de Vincent van Gogh: catalogue raisonné (Paris: G. Van Oest, 1928), vol. 1, 187 no. 667; vol. 2, pl. 188.

Wed

Jan

note

Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh to His Brother, 1872–1886

2026 at 07:27 PM

Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh to His Brother, 1872–1886 (London: Constable; Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1927), vol. 2, 83, no. 265.

Wed

Jan

note

Waldemar George, Van Gogh: 24 phototypies, Les Albums d’Art Druet 3

2026 at 07:27 PM

Waldemar George, Van Gogh: 24 phototypies, Les Albums d’Art Druet 3 (Paris: Librairie de France, 1927), pl. 1.

Wed

Jan

note

Julius Meier-Graefe, Entwicklungsgeschichte der modernen Kunst

2026 at 07:27 PM

Julius Meier-Graefe, Entwicklungsgeschichte der modernen Kunst (Munich, 1927), 605, pl. 518 [first ed. Stuttgart, 1904].

Wed

Jan

note

possibly by descent to his wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (died 1925)....

2026 at 07:25 PM

possibly by descent to his wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (died 1925). Given to Émile Bernard (died 1941), Paris, 1890 or 1891

Wed

Jan

note

Vienna 1925]

2026 at 07:25 PM

Vienna 1925]

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Vienna Secession, Die führenden Meister der franzöisischen Kunst im neunzehnten Jahrhundert, Mar.-Apr. 1925, cat. 89.

2026 at 07:25 PM

Vienna Secession, Die führenden Meister der franzöisischen Kunst im neunzehnten Jahrhundert, Mar.-Apr. 1925, cat. 89.

Wed

Jan

note

Gustave Coquiot, Vincent van Gogh avec 24 reproductions hors texte de Vincent van Gogh

2026 at 07:23 PM

Gustave Coquiot, Vincent van Gogh avec 24 reproductions hors texte de Vincent van Gogh (Paris, 1923), 319.

Wed

Jan

note

Julius Meier-Graefe, Vincent van Gogh, John Holyroyd Reece, trans.

2026 at 07:22 PM

Julius Meier-Graefe, Vincent van Gogh, John Holyroyd Reece, trans. (London, Liverpool, and Boston, 1922), 70–71, pl. 82.

Wed

Jan

note

sold to Jack Aghion, Paris (died before 1914), by 1905 for 500 FRF [Paris 1905]....

2026 at 07:14 PM

sold to Jack Aghion, Paris (died before 1914), by 1905 for 500 FRF [Paris 1905]. Carl Reininghaus, Vienna (died 1929), by 1909 to at least 1925 [Vienna 1909

Wed

Jan

note

Berlin 1914

2026 at 07:14 PM

Berlin 1914

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Berlin, Paul Cassirer, Zehnter Ausstellung. Vincent van Gogh, May–June, 1914, cat. 113.

2026 at 07:14 PM

Berlin, Paul Cassirer, Zehnter Ausstellung. Vincent van Gogh, May–June, 1914, cat. 113.

Wed

Jan

note

Julius Meier-Graefe, Vincent van Gogh

2026 at 07:12 PM

Julius Meier-Graefe, Vincent van Gogh (Munich 1912), 56, 57 (ill.).

Wed

Jan

note

his mother, Héloïse Bernard (died 1909), before 1899

2026 at 07:09 PM

his mother, Héloïse Bernard (died 1909), before 1899

Wed

Jan

exhibition

Vienna Secession, Internationale Kunstschau, May–Oct., 1909, cat. 10

2026 at 07:09 PM

Vienna Secession, Internationale Kunstschau, May–Oct., 1909, cat. 10

Thu

Jan

note

Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Van Gogh in Provence and Auvers

1999 at 05:38 AM

Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, Van Gogh in Provence and Auvers (New York: Hugh Lautner Levin, 1999), 215 (ill.).

Wed

Jan

note

Naomi Margolis Maurer, The Pursuit of Spiritual Wisdom: The Thought and Art of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin

1998 at 05:38 AM

Naomi Margolis Maurer, The Pursuit of Spiritual Wisdom: The Thought and Art of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin (London: Fairleigh Dickson University Press, 1998), 99, fig. 176.

Sun

Jan

note

Cornelia Homburg, The Copy Turns Original: Vincent van Gogh and a New Approach to Traditional Art Practice

1996 at 05:38 AM

Cornelia Homburg, The Copy Turns Original: Vincent van Gogh and a New Approach to Traditional Art Practice (Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1996), fig. 6, 96-98, 108-07, 174 no. 54.

Fri

Jan

note

Margherita Andreotti, “The Joseph Winterbotham Collection,” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 20, no. 2

1994 at 05:38 AM

Margherita Andreotti, “The Joseph Winterbotham Collection,” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 20, no. 2 (1994): 126–27 (ill.).

Mon

Jan

note

Bruce Laughton, The Drawings of Daumier and Millet

1991 at 05:38 AM

Bruce Laughton, The Drawings of Daumier and Millet (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1991), 202–03 (ill.).

Thu

Jan

exhibition

Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Hermitage Museum, Ot Delakrua do Matissa: shedevry frantsuzskoĭ zhivopici XIX-nachala XX veka, iz Muieia Metropoliten v Niu-Ĭorke i Khudozhestvennogo Instituta v Chikago, Mar. 15-May 19, 1988...

1988 at 05:38 AM

Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Hermitage Museum, Ot Delakrua do Matissa: shedevry frantsuzskoĭ zhivopici XIX-nachala XX veka, iz Muieia Metropoliten v Niu-Ĭorke i Khudozhestvennogo Instituta v Chikago, Mar. 15-May 19, 1988, cat. 44; Moscow, Pushkin Museum, June 10-July 30, 1988. [From Delacroix to Matisse: Great Paintings From the XIX century to the Beginning of the XXth century From Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago]

Tue

Jan

note

Susan A. Stein, ed., Van Gogh: A Retrospective

1986 at 05:38 AM

Susan A. Stein, ed., Van Gogh: A Retrospective (New York: Hugh Laughter Levin, 1986), 318, 327 (ill.), 328.

Tue

Jan

exhibition

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers, Nov. 25, 1986–Mar. 22, 1987, cat. 47.

1986 at 05:38 AM

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers, Nov. 25, 1986–Mar. 22, 1987, cat. 47.

Sat

Jan

note

B. Naeling, "Vincent van Gogh," PAN. Unsere herrliche Welt, no. 9

1984 at 05:38 AM

B. Naeling, "Vincent van Gogh," PAN. Unsere herrliche Welt, no. 9 (September 1984): 4–23.

Mon

Jan

note

Jan Hulsker, The complete Van Gogh: Paintings, drawings, sketches

1980 at 05:38 AM

Jan Hulsker, The complete Van Gogh: Paintings, drawings, sketches (New York: H.N. Abrams, 1980), 433–34.

Sun

Jan

note

Marla H. Hand, “Renaissance or Decadence: The Drinkers by Vincent Van Gogh”

1979 at 05:38 AM

Marla H. Hand, “Renaissance or Decadence: The Drinkers by Vincent Van Gogh” (master’s thesis, University of Chicago, 1979).

Sat

Jan

note

John Rewald, Post-Impressionism: From van Gogh to Gauguin, 3rd ed.

1978 at 05:38 AM

John Rewald, Post-Impressionism: From van Gogh to Gauguin, 3rd ed. (New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1978), 327 (ill.).

Fri

Jan

note

Paolo Lecaldano, L’opera pittorica completa di Van Gogh e i suoi nessi grafici, vol. 2

1977 at 05:38 AM

Paolo Lecaldano, L’opera pittorica completa di Van Gogh e i suoi nessi grafici, vol. 2 (Milan: Rizzoli, 1977), 225-26 no. 761.

Wed

Jan

note

Jacob-Baart de la Faille, The Works of Vincent van Gogh, His Paintings and Drawings

1970 at 05:38 AM

Jacob-Baart de la Faille, The Works of Vincent van Gogh, His Paintings and Drawings (New York: Reynal, 1970), 262, 263 (ill.), no. F667.

Sat

Jan

note

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection

1961 at 05:38 AM

Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), 199-200, 330 (ill.).