Head of a Peasant Woman with White Cap

Van Gogh's close-up heads of Brabant peasant women wearing white caps are among the most technically accomplished works of his Nuenen period. He produced dozens of these studies in preparation for The Potato Eaters (1885), treating them as 'character heads' in the tradition of Rembrandt and Hals. The white cap — the traditional Brabant women's headdress — was both a compositional element (providing a strong light accent against the dark face and background) and a marker of social identity. Van Gogh described these women's faces as recording 'the history of the earth itself' — the accumulated experience of generations of agricultural labour.

The white cap is rendered with confident touches of lead white against the darker tones of the face and background. The face itself is built from earthy greens, umbers, and ochres without flattery. The handling is summary and direct, prioritising character over finish.