The 'Laakmolen' near The Hague

[1] Both Hulsker and De La Faille place the work as done at Etten around October 1881.

Christie's, following Martha Op de Coul, date the watercolor as done later in summer 1882 after van Gogh had moved to The Hague.

The location is of considerable interest because in the summer of 1872 (i.e. some ten years earlier), Vincent's brother Theo had come to visit Vincent at The Hague and together they had walked to a mill at Rijswijk (presumed to be the Laakmolen, one of just two at Rijswijk) where they drank milk together.

It seems this walk held special emotional significance for Vincent, as he later referred to it several times in his letters to Theo.

[1] An earlier painting which shows the Laakmolen in a view of The Hague from Rijswijk by Paulus Constantijn La Fargue circa 1765–1770.