Portrait of Doctor Rey

It shows Félix Rey, a doctor at Arles' hospital, who healed the artist following the fit of epilepsy or dementia in which he cut off part of his ear.

[citation needed] Rey and his family found it ridiculous and unrealistic and so used it for over ten years to block a hole in a chicken coop, then probably put it in their loft.

In April 1901, the future painter Charles Camoin was billeted at Arles as part of France's 55th Line Infantry Regiment.

There he met Rey, who told him about the painting and sold it to him, with Camoin sending it to an art dealer from Marseille, Monsieur Molinard.

The work was at that time called "Framed portrait of a man, full face slightly turned to the right, signed in red : Vincent, Arles, January 1889".