Exactly How Much Of His Ear Did Vincent Van Gogh Slice Off?

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Well, it was more than we thought. In 1888, Vincent van Gogh sliced off part of his left ear. As famous as this incident is, though, there was one central piece of information that was never quite clear: How much of his ear did he take off?

Van Gogh scholars had believed that the artist took off only part of his ear - probably the earlobe. But while researching a book on van Gogh, a scholar turned up a drawing, made by the physician who treated the wound, that showed he cut off the whole thing.