1889 · F504 · JH1655
La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin)
La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin), 1889. Meaning, analysis, themes, technique, period and related Van Gogh artworks connected from The Roulin Family.
La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin) meaning and analysis
La Berceuse presents Augustine Roulin as a woman rocking a cradle, surrounded by a deliberately decorative field of colour.
Meaning
The portrait joins care, music and domestic labour without reducing Roulin to a passive symbol.
Visual Analysis
The seated figure, rope and patterned wallpaper flatten the space into a strong frontal arrangement.
Symbolism
The cradle rope suggests lullaby and care, while the flowers make the setting feel ceremonial.
Technique
Bold outlines and saturated complementary colours give the portrait poster-like force.
Period Context
Painted in Arles in 1889, it belongs to Van Gogh's Roulin-family series.
Related Letters
Van Gogh imagined the painting as a consoling image that could travel beyond the family portrait.
FAQ
- Who is La Berceuse?
- She is Augustine Roulin, wife of postman Joseph Roulin.
- What is she holding?
- She holds the rope used to rock a cradle.
- Why is the background patterned?
- The decorative colour and pattern make the portrait feel intentionally flat and ceremonial.
La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin). The postman's wife, holding the rope of a cradle. He painted five versions — wanting this to hang in a fishing boat's cabin, comforting sailors. The background pattern reads as wallpaper and as waves.