Printed to order

Portrait of Paul-Eugène Milliet (The Lover) by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh, September 1888

$130.00

Item no. PDVGW068-00

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The jaunty Zouave lieutenant in a red cap, a crescent and star behind: Van Gogh’s Paul-Eugène Milliet, on canvas or paper.

Format

Stretched canvasfrom $130 Framed canvasfrom $160 Framed printfrom $160 Fine art printfrom $100

Size

Which size fits your wall

Every size keeps the painting's own proportions. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.

16 × 20 in 41 × 51 cm

Three-seat sofa, 84 in wide × 34 in tall (213 × 86 cm)

Size	Metric	Where it works
16 × 20 in	41 × 51 cm	Plays well with others: the middle of a gallery wall, a pair side by side, or a hallway on its own.
24 × 30 in	61 × 76 cm	Holds a wall on its own above a dresser, console or sideboard. Above a bed or a sofa, hang two side by side.
32 × 40 in	81 × 102 cm	A statement piece. Big enough to anchor a living room or dining room wall alone, or to hang above a queen bed or a fireplace.

Rule of thumb: choose art about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it.

16 × 20 in41 × 51 cm 24 × 30 in61 × 76 cm 32 × 40 in81 × 102 cm

Frame

Black White Natural wood Dark wood

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We write it on a card and tuck it in behind the painting. The price never appears in the box.

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Subtotal $130.00

Printed to order in 1–3 business days
Free US shipping, tracked, 5–12 business days
30-day returns and exchanges
Damage cover included: we remake and reship

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Questions about sizes or framing? Ask us

This portrait is a red cap and black jacket against emerald green, and a dull copy turns the green flat. Our Van Gogh Paul Eugene Milliet print was graded beside the original so the green stays rich and the red cap stays bright.

Canvas, framed or paper

Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.

Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.

Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.

Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.

Sizes

16x20 inch, 24x30 inch, 32x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.

On your wall

Its upright shape suits a study, a hallway or a library. The emerald, red and black look striking with deep green, brass and walnut, and a dark wood frame suits it.

About the painting

Portrait of Paul-Eugène Milliet (The Lover) by Vincent van Gogh

Arles, September 1888

Paul-Eugène Milliet was a young lieutenant of the Zouaves in Arles, and Vincent van Gogh gave him drawing lessons. “He’s eager to learn,” Vincent wrote; “has been to Tonkin, &c. He’s leaving for Africa in October.”

A painting of lovers

In September Vincent painted him. “He poses badly,” he wrote, “but he’s good-looking, very jaunty, very easy-going in his appearance, and he’d suit me down to the ground for a painting of lovers.”

Crescent and star

Then: “I have his portrait now, with the red képi against an emerald background, and in this background the emblem of his regiment, the crescent and a 5-pointed star.” It hangs in his painting of his bedroom, and belongs to the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Listen to the story

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Read the story

This young soldier was Vincent van Gogh's drawing pupil, and his model for a lover.

It's 1888, in Arles. Paul-Eugène Milliet is a second lieutenant of the Zouaves, French soldiers stationed in the town.

Vincent gives him drawing lessons. He's eager to learn, Vincent writes. He's been to Tonkin, and he's leaving for Africa in October.

In September, Vincent paints his portrait.

He poses badly, Vincent complains. But he's good-looking, very jaunty, very easy-going in his appearance, and he'd suit me down to the ground for a painting of lovers.

A few days later it's done.

I have his portrait now, he writes to his brother Theo, with the red képi against an emerald background, and in this background the emblem of his regiment, the crescent and a five-pointed star.

Vincent hangs it on his bedroom wall, and you can see it in his famous painting of his bedroom in Arles.

Today it belongs to the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands.

Look at that proud moustache and red cap, and see the lover Vincent wanted to paint.

Paul-Eugène Milliet. Vincent van Gogh, 1888.

Self-Portrait, 1887. Art Institute of Chicago.

The artist

Vincent van Gogh

1853–1890 · Post-Impressionism

Dutch painter who came to art late, in his late twenties, and made most of the work we know in the last few years of his life, much of it in Arles in the south of France. He used colour to carry feeling, and explained it in hundreds of letters, most of them to his brother Theo.

More by Vincent van Gogh

The original

Artist: Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
Date: September 1888
Medium: Oil on canvas
Where it hangs today: Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo (the museum’s page, opens in a new tab)
Originals: One painting
Original size: 60 × 49 cm

Graded against the original: true to the artist’s colours, brought back to life for your wall.

How each piece is brought to life

Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.

Graded against the original

We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you

Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall

It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.

Questions

Is this the original painting?

No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.

Will the colour look flat?

This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.

Will the edges be cropped?

Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.

Which size is right for my wall?

Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.

How long does it take?

Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.

What if it arrives damaged?

Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.

Can I return it?

Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.