After Van Gough cut off his ear, what did he do with it?

mk2norwich

From 'Van Gogh' (Encyclopedia Britannica) : '...in a moment of mental derangement he cut off his own ear, wrapped it in paper and left it about three o'clock in the morning at a brothel'. Dec 27 02, 10:39 AM

sequoianoir

There has recently emerged some dispute over the original 'ear' {story;} evidence now suggests that it may well have been Gauguin who cut off Van Gogh's ear during an argument. http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/classroom/success.html However the 'normal' story is: On the evening of 23 December 1888 Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin had an altercation in which Van Gogh is said to have threatened Gauguin with a knife. Later that evening Van Gogh returned to the 'Yellow House' in Arles where he lived and mutilated himself. Holding the open razor in his right hand, he had sliced through his left {ear;} starting high at the back and hacking downwards so that all the lower part of the ear had been chopped off. This had left part of the upper ear still attached as a hideous flap of flesh. Van Gogh, then wrapped the ear in cloth and made his way to a favourite brothel where he presented this 'present' to a prostitute(girlfriend). The police were called in and Van Gogh was subsequently hospitalised. The severed tissue of the ear was placed into a jar of alcohol in case it might be needed as evidence. Some months later it was thrown out. (source: Van Gogh: His Life and Art by David Sweetman) Dec 27 02, 5:56 PM