Which month in 1888 did Van Gogh cut off his ear?

Which month in 1888 did Van Gogh cut off his ear? The incident occurred in December 1888. More precisely, it followed an altercation in Arles on the evening of 23 December, during the tense period when Paul Gauguin was staying with Van Gogh in the Yellow House.

The exact sequence remains uncertain. Contemporary and later accounts disagree about how much tissue was severed—some say the entire outer ear, while others describe the earlobe or part of the ear—but the month and general location are not seriously disputed. Van Gogh wrapped the tissue in paper and brought it to a woman connected with a local brothel. He was found unconscious the next morning and taken to the hospital in Arles.

The crisis ended Gauguin’s stay and led to Van Gogh’s first hospitalization there. Doctors described severe mental disturbance, and recurring episodes later contributed to his voluntary admission to the asylum at Saint-Rémy in 1889. Paintings such as Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear record the aftermath, although the mirror image can make the bandaged side appear to be the right ear.