Adeline Ravoux1890 · Study 1958.31

Context from the museum

In May 1890, Vincent van Gogh arrived in Auvers, a small town north of Paris, where he rented a room at the inn of Arthur Ravoux. This portrait, completed during the last months of the artist’s life, depicts Ravoux’s 13-year-old daughter, Adeline. Van Gogh wrote that rather than photographic resemblance, he wanted his portraits to convey the “impassioned aspects” of contemporary life through the “modern taste for color.”

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Adeline Ravoux, at age 13, was not pleased with her portrait and did not think the image resembled her. Today, a photograph exists of Adeline in her late seventies and the resemblance is truly remarkable.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Adeline Ravoux is 50.5 cm wide and 50.2 cm high, equivalent to approximately 19.9 × 19.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.01:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.25 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 16.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 124.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Adeline Ravoux in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this near-square composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 50.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?