À propos de l’œuvre
Mère Roulin avec son bébé, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · November -December 1888 · Arles
Madame Roulin and her baby, F491Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
Marcelle Roulin, swaddled in white, occupies the center of the painting; behind her, her mother Augustine becomes an almost abbreviated protective presence.
Look at the work
The baby in the foreground, the mother in the background
Marcelle is held vertically, her round face directed towards the viewer. Her hat, her white diaper and her little hands are shaped by a thick material. Augustine appears behind her, dressed in green, his face partially hidden by the child's head.
The yellow background and the green clothing create large fields of color, crossed by blue contours. The brush is particularly energetic around Marcelle's face: the thick touches give her expression a liveliness that the mother's calm contains.
In this version of the Met, smaller than the Philadelphia one, Van Gogh focuses attention on Marcelle; Augustine Roulin acts as a maternal setting around the baby.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art precisely describes the child as the true home of the portrait, made approximately six months after Van Gogh's arrival in Arles.
A very close child
Marcelle's head and white diaper occupy the central axis and advance visually in front of her mother's green body.
A deliberately abbreviated mother
Augustine's face is cut off by that of the baby and treated with less detail, which reinforces his supporting role.
Matter as expression
On the cheeks, mouth and cap, thick touches do not smooth the child: they give the model an immediate presence.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
Inventory 1975.1.231 and references F491/JH1638 distinguish this New York version from the large F490 canvas kept in Philadelphia.
Augustine and Marcelle
Augustine Roulin is the wife of postman Joseph Roulin; Marcelle, their daughter, was born in Arles in July 1888.
A whole family
Van Gogh portrayed Joseph, Augustine and their children Armand, Camille and Marcelle, constituting one of his most coherent sets of portraits.
F491 at the Met
This canvas measures 63.5 × 50.8 cm. The Philadelphia F490 version is significantly larger and differs in framing.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must maintain the hierarchy between the very present child and the withdrawn mother, the density of the white and the blue contours without hardening the faces.
- Marcelle's round face in the center
- The white cap and diaper heavily pasted
- Augustine's green garment
- Ultramarine blue contours
- The warm yellow background without depth
Work sheet
| Title | Madame Roulin and her baby, F491 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | November - December 1888 |
| Place of creation | Arles |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 63.5 × 50.8 cm |
| Inventory | Metropolitan Museum of Art 1975.1.231 · F491 · JH1638 |
| Conservation | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A lively and deeply human family portrait
The vertical format is suitable for a bedroom, entrance or portrait wall. Emerald green, golden yellow, cream white and deep blue interact with light wood and linen.
Frequently asked questions
Before ordering
Is this a canvas print?
No. Each reproduction is manually painted in oil on canvas. Brushstrokes and material variations belong to the final result.
How is the visual reference chosen?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Open Access image was reduced from 2,987 × 3,721 px to 2,408 × 3,000 px and then converted to a real WebP.
Can I check the result before shipping?
Yes. Photographs of the finished painting are sent to you; you can request alterations before validating the shipment.
Are custom formats possible?
Yes. The format can be adapted to your wall while maintaining the proportions and balance of the original composition.
