LMI presents Elimar

LMI presents
Elimar by

Vincent van Gogh

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What you’re about to see is the product of four years of research, and extraordinary scientific rigor in art authentication.

Undertaken by LMI Group and its renowned team of art historians, provenance experts, materials scientists, and computational experts.

Created by one of the most important artists of the modern era, here we bring to light a previously unknown work…

Elimar

Chapter 01/

Vincentvan Gogh

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This is a story of

lost art

fracturedidentity

regretdmpion

1853—1880

Early Life

Van Gogh explored various careers, including art dealing and preaching, before finding his true calling in art.

Vincent van Gogh came from humble beginnings as an art collector and copyist. He began by studying reproductions and learned through imitation.Most of the artist’s important works came late in his relatively brief life, as he struggled with his mental health.

[PLACEHOLDER] — Early photograph of Vincent van Gogh

1880—1886

The Dutch Period

In the Netherlands, he developed a somber, earthy style focusing on peasant life, exemplified by The Potato Eaters.

1886—1888

Paris Period

Living with his brother Theo, he absorbed Impressionist influences, adopting brighter colors and a more dynamic style.

1888—1889

Arles Period

Inspired by the vibrant southern landscape, he painted some of his most iconic works with bold colors and expressive brushstrokes but experienced his first major breakdown.

In 1888 Vincent painted his iconic Self-Portrait as a Painter. To his sister-in-law, Johanna, it was striking. She expected at this low point in his life a frail, broken man, yet saw someone broad-shouldered and resolute. In Elimar, we find another kind of invented self-portrait—something much more intimate.

“I had expected to see a sick man, but here was a sturdy, broad-shouldered man, with a healthy color, a smile on his face, and a very resolute appearance; of all the self-portraits, the one before the easel is most like him at that period...”

1889

1890

And then...

Saint-Rémy Period

Chapter 02/

TheAsylum

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After a series of mental breakdowns, Vincent admitted himself to an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889.

He at times turned inward, seeking inspiration from nature, literature, and reproductions of other artworks.

But there, he found a measure of peace...and wrestled with his darkness.

During this period, his art became therapy; and he painted in a search for salvation.

He painted 150 works; landscapes, self-portraits, and versions of other artists' works — all in an effort to mend himself.

[PLACEHOLDER] Elimar — Vincent van Gogh, *Elimar*, 1889, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, oil on canvas, 45.7 x 41.9 cm, Inscribed lower right, “ELIMAR.” Owner, LMI Group International, Inc., SPV Number 0719, LLC.

It is notable that the composition of Elimar features the same three quarter view as all four of van Gogh’s 1889 self-portraits

[PLACEHOLDER] Vincent self portrait — Vincent van Gogh, *Self-Portrait*, Saint-Rémy, September 1889, oil on canvas, 40 x 31 cm, Private Collection.

Elimar bears a distinct similarity to other portraits made during this period—especially his Portrait of Madame Trabuc.

Vincent van Gogh, *Portrait of Madame Trabuc*, Saint Rémy, September 1889, oil on canvas mounted on panel, 63.7 x 48 cm, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Of these works, 33 were what he called

‘translations’

religious works he based on the Parables of Jesus and print reproductions of works by masters such as Rembrandt, Delacroix, Daumier, Millet, Gauguin, and other lesser-known artists.

[PLACEHOLDER] Oil painting of woman — Vincent van Gogh, *Portrait of Madame Trabuc*, Saint Rémy, September 1889, oil on canvas mounted on panel, 63.7 x 48 cm, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Van Gogh’s multiple translations of Gauguin’s painting of Mme. Ginoux seated in a Arles café depart notably from the original.

Van Gogh’s translations began in the fall of 1889. He explains his thinking about this nascent methodology in a letter to his brother.

These translations reimagined other artists’ artworks in original adaptations to mine sources of inspiration and demonstrate his virtuosity.

[PLACEHOLDER] Oil painting of a man mending a fishing net in a black frame.

Chapter 03/

ThePainting

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Elimar was translated from a work by Michael Ancher, a Danish artist from the Skagen artist’s colony, a group to which van Gogh was linked in a number of ways by Mette-Sophie Gaugin, the Danish wife of van Gogh's friend, the artist Paul Gauguin. Ancher’s work depicts a hard-working fisherman, a subject to which Vincent returned repeatedly.

[PLACEHOLDER] Oil painting of a man mending a fishing net in a gold frame. — Michael Ancher, *Niels Gaihede Mending a Fishing Net*, c. 1870s-1880, oil on canvas, 36 x 32 cm, LMI Group International, Inc., SPV Number 0719 LLC.

Illustration of the character Elimar from the Dutch version of *The Two Baronesses*

Painted on the fisherman's sleeve is the name Elimar, a protagonist in Hans Christian Andersen’s novel The Two Baronesses. Vincent much admired Andersen’s writing, and here depicts a sympathetic character, who, like himself, suffered from self-destructive behavior and violence.

In the novel, Elimar returns from an epic voyage as an older, gray-bearded person–sedate, kinder, and bearing a wedding ring. Vincent adopted this name in what is effectively a fictive self-portrait to conjure the newly recovered man he wanted to be.

Chapter 04/

ScientificAnalysis

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With a level of scientific rigor rarely undertaken in the art world, our team unearthed Vincent’s hidden strokes,

revealing secrets embedded in the fibers of the canvas.

High-resolution imaging, near-IRR, and X-ray exposed his private world—notes in pigment, under layers in pencil, all reflecting the artist’s inner mongologue and working methods.

Mathematical analysis decoded Vincent’s inscription of the word Elimar; each letter hiding codes within the paint.

His letters, compared and scrutinized, show patterns of a man’s identity slowly surfacing from habits long practiced.

With DNA analysis, we delved deeper to see if a trace of Vincent himself might remain—an intimate connection through time. While the results were inconclusive, LMI left no clues unexamined.

We went on to examine 892 known paintings by the artist, comparing the features and techniques of each. Tiny details echoed a familiar hand.

Advanced materials science added yet another layer. We ventured into the molecular world, dissecting pigments in a meticulous exploration of particles, revealing Vincent’s unique materials—the very essence of his practice frozen in time.

Red Pigment Analysis

SAFA identified the red pigment PR 50 (C.I. 15500) in Elimar, a monoazo pigment previously thought to be a single entity. However, our research revealed three distinct chemical variants: sodium salt, barium salt, and calcium salt.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the specific variant present in Elimar, indicating the pigment was in use before the 1905 German patent, reshaping our understanding of its history and development.

1880

PR50 (Neutral Acid and Sodium Salt, C.I.15500)

Patented: 1883 (US297852A, FR157755)

Probable Use: Late 1880s

These variants were the first forms of PR50 to be patented. The sodium salt's solubility and ease of preparation (as described in the patent) made it likely to be adopted quickly for artistic use, especially in France, where it was developed. French manufacturers like Société Anonyme des Matières Colorantes were active suppliers to artists and color merchants.

1900

PR50:1 (Barium Salt, C.I.15500.1)

Pigment Present in Elimar

Patented: 1905 (DE189023C)

Probable Use: Early 1890s

Despite the patent being filed in 1905, the barium salt was likely already in use. The pigment industry often used well-known salts (like barium chloride) to enhance the durability, lightfastness, and vibrancy of pigments. Barium compounds were popular for producing opaque and brilliant reds, especially for oil painting, as evidenced by PR50:1's properties described in the patent.

1920

PR50:2 (Calcium Salt, C.I.15500.2)

Patented: Not Documented

Probable Use: Late 19th Century

The calcium salt is mentioned in later literature but lacks a patent. It was likely in use by the late 19th century due to the pigment industry's experimentation with alkaline earth salts to modify pigment properties. Its absence in early patents reflects the broader historical trend of incomplete documentation for some pigment variants.

Chapter 05/

Conclusion

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In the end, what did we uncover? Elimar is a truly introspective likeness, suffused with imagery of nature, a symbol of his faith, and an allusion to a literary protagonist with whom he identified .

It is a kind of resurrection in his last days, offering a glimmer of promise after the chaotic decades of his short life.

In Elimar we travel through time and see Vincent mature, wise, and content—at last.

We are dedicated to solving important cold cases as part of our broader work in the arts and cultural heritage sectors. Using deep scholarly research, rigorous data science and proprietary technology, we authenticate, underwrite, and bring to market previously unknown or forgotten works of art from the world’s great artists.

Make an inquiry

LMI Group welcomes inquiries from owners of orphaned artworks and investors who wish to invest in our process.

Investigation and Documentation Team

LMI Group Leadership

Lawrence M. Shindell
Maxwell L. Anderson, Ph.D.
Steven P. Novak

Internal Technical Consultant and Support

Mathew W. Israel, Ph.D.

Independent Visual Documentation Research, Technical Review

William J. Havlicek, Ph.D.
Susan C. Brantly, Ph.D.
Joe Lin-Hill, Ph.D.

Independent Historical, Academic Research

Robert McDonald Parker
Proper Provenance, LLC

Independent Materials Science, DNA Science

Scientific Analysis of Fine Art, LLC
Signature Science, LLC
Rice University, Treangen Lab
John C. Mulligan, Ph.D.
Wilson Gunn, Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys

Independent Visual Documentation

Digital Transitions
Balance Pictures

Independent Hand-Mark Scientific Identification, Measurement

OddCommon

Conservation

Jean Dommermuth, MA

Independent Canvas Weave Enhancement, Visualization

Digital Transitions, Inc.
OddCommon
Scientific Analysis of Fine Art, LLC

Independent Audited Security, Chain of Custody

Brinks Global Services

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