TheOldMastersPrintsThe Potato Eaters by Vincent van Gogh: meaning, location and key facts
The Potato Eaters is an oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, painted in 1885. It measures 82 × 114 cm and is held at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
Key facts
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
|---|---|
| Date | 1885 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 82 × 114 cm (height × width) |
| Museum | Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam |
| Style | Realism |
| Data source | Wikidata (Q154469) · Wikipedia |
What it shows
Five peasants share a supper of potatoes and coffee by the light of an oil lamp in a cottage in Nuenen, the Brabant village where Van Gogh’s family lived. The colours are earthy and dark, and hands and faces are painted with deliberate roughness.
Van Gogh wanted to show that these people “have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish”, honestly earning their food. He painted it in April 1885, after months of studies of peasants’ heads and hands.
Did you know?
- Van Gogh considered it his first major work, painted five years before his death and before his palette brightened in Paris.
- A preliminary version is in the Kröller-Müller Museum, and there is a lithograph with the scene reversed.
- His friend the painter Anthon van Rappard harshly criticised the lithograph, and their friendship broke down.
Where to see the original
The Potato Eaters is at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Works are sometimes lent to exhibitions or taken down for restoration, so it is worth checking the museum’s website before you go.
Which print size to choose
The print keeps the proportions of the original: if they differ from the paper, the painting is centred with a white border and never cropped. More details in our size guide.
| A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) | shelves, desks and gallery walls |
|---|---|
| A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) | bedrooms, hallways and small walls |
| A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) | above a sideboard, chest of drawers or headboard |
Prints are made to order in the Czech Republic and reach the EU in 3 to 8 days, with no customs. Canvases are made in the USA and take about 2 to 3 weeks, with EU VAT included in the price.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Potato Eaters?
- The original is held at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
- How big is The Potato Eaters?
- The original painting measures 82 × 114 cm (height × width).
- Who painted The Potato Eaters and when?
- It was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1885.
- Can I hang a reproduction of The Potato Eaters at home?
- Yes. The work is in the public domain, so it can be freely reproduced. We offer it as a matte print in A4, A3, A2 (from €18.99) and as a ready-to-hang canvas (from €55.99), with free shipping to the EU.
Updated 21 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Message us through the shop and we will fix it.
