Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse)
1889 Museum of Fine Arts Boston
About this artwork
This is one of five portraits Van Gogh painted of Madame Augustine Roulin, the wife of the postman Joseph Roulin, during his time in Arles. The series, known as "La Berceuse" (The Woman Rocking the Cradle), was intended to evoke the feeling of a lullaby.
Did you know?
Van Gogh painted this series of portraits of Madame Roulin, whom he affectionately called "La Berceuse" (The Woman Rocking the Cradle), to represent the comforting presence of motherhood. He envisioned them as modern devotional images, intended to offer solace, particularly to sailors at sea who might see them as a comforting figure to dream of. He even hoped they could be placed on fishing boats as a symbol of comfort and protection.
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Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse)
Vincent van Gogh, 1889
