Van Gogh cut off the lobe of his left ear, enveloped it, and sent it to a woman named Rachel with a letter that read, "Guard this object carefully".
He may have been looking into a mirror while painting the self portrait, for the picture shows his right ear is bandaged rather than his left.
Soon after that violent event, Van Gogh was sent to an insane asylum on May 7, 1889. Here he was tested for multiple mental illnesses, but his exact sickness is still undetermined.
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