A new study by Van Gogh Museum senior researcher Teio Meedendorp proposes that the mysterious piles of sand in Vincent van Gogh's painting *The Yellow House* (September 1888) are not, as previously thought, related to gas pipe installation, but rather cleansing sand used to absorb horse manure and urine on the streets of Arles. Meedendorp supports his theory with 1902 postcards showing similar sand piles and street-cleaning practices, and notes that the Arles municipal council had outsourced street cleaning in August 1888, just before the painting was made.
This discovery matters because it resolves a long-standing art-historical puzzle about a major work by one of the world's most famous artists, shifting the interpretation from a narrative of modern utility (gas lighting) to one of everyday urban life in the 19th century. It also highlights how archival research and period documents can reshape our understanding of iconic paintings, revealing the mundane realities that artists chose to depict.