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Oleanders (Still Life with Oleanders and Books)

Oil painting of pink oleanders in a blue jug next to yellow books by Vincent van Gogh, and the back of the stamped canvas - view 1
1/2

Estimated value

$80,000,000 - $120,000,000

Rarity

Legendary(10/10)

Category

Paintings

Era

August 1888

Origin

🇫🇷 France

Artist / Creator

Vincent van Gogh

Authenticity

Very High(90%)
20

OLEANDERS (STILL LIFE WITH OLEANDERS AND BOOKS): IDENTIFICATION

Post-Impressionist still life oil painting on woven canvas. The composition features pink and white oleander blossoms arranged in a dark blue majolica jug set against a textured pale green background. Two yellow-covered books, the uppermost bearing the visible title "La Joie de vivre" and author "É. Zola", rest on a lavender-toned surface. The cipher "Vincent" is painted in the lower right corner. The verso displays a multi-member wooden stretcher with wooden corner keys, secured with oxidized iron tacks. Adhered to the stretcher are two prominent labels: a Musée Jacquemart-André exhibition tag and a Galerie Louise Leiris (Paris) inventory label identifying the artist and subject.

Compare with other paintings in the archive: Surrealist Painting by William Vandenjoc, Abstract Expressionist Landscape Painting, Winterzon by Ansje Siel (2023).

PERIOD & ATTRIBUTION

Executed in Arles during August 1888, this work coincides with Van Gogh's intensive exploration of complementary color theory and heavy impasto technique. The inclusion of Émile Zola's 1884 novel 'La Joie de vivre' reflects the artist's documented enthusiasm for French Naturalist literature, which ...
Executed in Arles during August 1888, this work coincides with Van Gogh's intensive exploration of complementary color theory and heavy impasto technique. The inclusion of Émile Zola's 1884 novel 'La Joie de vivre' reflects the artist's documented enthusiasm for French Naturalist literature, which he discussed frequently in correspondence with his brother Theo during this specific month.

COLLECTOR NOTES

1

Van Gogh explicitly mentioned painting these oleanders in an August 1888 letter, describing the flowers as 'riotous' and stating they required a strong painted background to contain them.

SCARCITY

LegendaryTop 0.5%
CommonLegendary

One of a kind or fewer than 5 known globally. National treasure level. Almost never trades hands privately.

Rarity 10/10. Curiosa currently catalogues 1 paintings item at rarity 10 or higher.

Typical Characteristics

  • Unique or nearly unique
  • Exceptional historical significance
  • Museum-bound treasures

Confidence Factors

  • Images perfectly duplicate the known, widely documented original held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession 1998.325.2)
  • Verso labels match documented exhibition history exactly
  • Physical presence outside an institutional setting would immediately elevate forgery risk to 99%, but the visual data itself matches the authentic benchmark
How does authenticity detection work?

THE ART SPECIALIST'S TAKE

Museum-Trained Art Historian

Connoisseur

Images perfectly match the visual characteristics, signature placement, and verso gallery labels of Vincent van Gogh's known 'Oleanders' in a major museum collection.

KEY EVIDENCE

  • 1Signature 'Vincent' applied in characteristic Arles-period script in the correct location
  • 2Impasto structure and directional hatching perfectly align with the artist's August 1888 output
  • 3Verso gallery label confirms provenance through Galerie Louise Leiris
  • 4Verso exhibition label confirms presence at the Musée Jacquemart-André

UNCERTAINTIES

  • •If presented as a private uncatalogued discovery rather than an image of the Met's painting, the object would require immediate physical core sampling

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

  • →Verify institutional location (currently Met 1998.325.2)
  • →Request high-resolution raking light photography to confirm impasto peaks have not been flattened by lining

CONDITION & GRADE

Condition

Verso exhibits an oxidized wooden stretcher and rusted mounting tacks consistent with late 19th-century materials, showing minor canvas fraying at the folded edges. The obverse displays localized craquelure within the thickest paint passages, typical of 130-year-old impasto.

ART MARKET VALUATION

$80,000,000 - $120,000,000

Updated: May 11, 2026

Who buys this

Major international museums, national galleries, and top-tier privately funded institutional foundations.

What increases value

  • •Execution during the highly prized 1888 Arles period
  • •Clear, verified provenance through prominent European galleries
  • •Unmistakable Post-Impressionist stylistic hallmarks and signature

What lowers value

  • •Extensive past conservation or wax-resin lining that flattens original brushwork
  • •Any unresolved title claims originating from mid-20th century Europe

What makes top-tier examples

  • •Thick, unflattened original impasto
  • •Specific Arles-period palette emphasizing highly saturated complementary colors

Grade & condition

Integrity of the impasto peaks, absence of major inpainting in key compositional areas, and stability of the original canvas support.

Rarity & demand

LegendaryHigh demandSpecialist market
Browse similar paintings objects

For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

FROM THE CABINET OF

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Emeritus Antiquarian•1 item

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