Slope with Poppies (Pente avec coquelicots)
Painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism / Paris Period
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas using alla prima technique with short, rhythmic brushstrokes and impasto.
Creation Period
1887
Dimensions & Format
Approx. 54.5 x 45.0 cm (21.5 x 17.7 inches); Portrait format.
Subject Description
A vibrant hillside covered in tall, golden grass and scattered red poppies under a bright blue sky with wispy white clouds. The composition uses a low, tilted perspective common in his Paris years, influenced by Japanese prints.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; well-preserved within a museum environment.
Estimated Market Value
$40,000,000 - $60,000,000 (Market value based on comparable sales of 1887 Paris landscapes).
Auction Estimate
$35,000,000 - $55,000,000
Provenance History
Part of the Van Gogh family collection; currently held in the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).
Art Historical Significance
A critical transitional work from Van Gogh’s Paris period where he moved away from dark Dutch tones and adopted the bright palette of Impressionism and the structural dots of Pointillism.
Notable Features
Characteristic cross-hatched brushstrokes in the foreground and a distinct upward-moving energy that prefigures his later exuberant style in Arles.
Condition Issues
Minor age-related craquelure; slight yellowing of original varnish (typical for works of this period).
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain controlled humidity (45-55%), UV-filtered low-intensity lighting, and use of archival glazing if framed for private display.