Full gory truth of Van Gogh’s hacked off ear revealed… as expert claims he gave bloody flesh to a brothel cleaner not a prostitute

NEW research has revealed that artist Vincent van Vogh did not cut off part of his ear in a fit of rage – but severed it entirely.

The world renowned painter, whose works sells for tens of millions, infamously self-mutilated himself in 1888 before giving the bloodied body part to a woman in a nearby French brothel.

However, a newly discovered letter from Van Gogh’s doctor, Felix Ray, confirms that the artist removed his entire ear during the horrific incident and not just the lobe as was previously thought.

Researcher Bernadette Murphy, from Provence, also discovered that the woman who received the gruesome gift from the Dutch painter was actually a cleaner and not a prostitute named Rachel.

The new research, which was unveiled at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam yesterday, shows the maid, named Gabrielle, had been bitten by vicious dog and was working at the brothel to pay her medical bills.

It is thought that mentally ill Van Gogh offered the woman his ear as a deluded attempt to heal her.

Ms Murphy’s findings are part of her upcoming book entitled Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story, which is being explored in a new BBC documentary later this year.

Van Gogh, who eventually committed suicide in 1890, cut off his ear in French town of Arles in December 1888.

Ms Murphy spent seven years cross-referencing newspaper reports and eye witness accounts identifying the maid as a woman called Gabrielle who was bitten by a rabid dog a year before.

The researcher told the Daily Telegraph that Van Gogh was ‘touched’ by the young girl’s situation.

She said: “She had had a very nasty scar on her arm following the bite.

“Van Gogh was somebody who was very touched by people in difficulty. I feel that he wanted to give her this gift of flesh.”

Former art history teacher Murphy said that she had contacted Gabrielle’s living relatives but promised not to be reveal her full identity.

The intrepid researcher also discovered a handwritten letter from Dr Rey, who tended to Van Gogh in hospital, including a detailed diagram of his horrific injury.

Ms Murphy tracked down the document which was in an American archive after finding a clue in a letter in a Dutch archive.

The document will be seen in the Amsterdam exhibition, entitled On The Verge of Insanity.

Curators will dispel the myth that Van Gogh was a 'mad genius' who created his art while in manic states.

The show’s organisers will show that the painter's mental illness left him “utterly confused and unable to work for days and sometimes weeks at a time”.

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