Vase with fifteen Sunflowers (Helianthus anuus), another of the famous Sunflowers series of oil paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). In the summer of 1888 he embarked on a large number of paintings of sunflowers to decorate his studio and house in preparation for the arrival of the Post Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) with whom van Gogh had a unique relationship as his mentor and friend. He created numerous variations, experimentally based on just one or two colours. Painted in January, 1889, this fourth version has a yellow background.