It has often been interpreted as a sign of his tortured genius, evidence of his mental illness or the final result of a heated row with fellow artist Paul Gauguin.

But the dramatic decision of Vincent van Gogh to chop off his own ear may in fact have a more simple explanation, a historian has found: learning of his brother’s engagement.

New research suggests Van Gogh had learned of his brother Theo’s engagement on the day he decided to cut his own ear, December 23, 1888.