Vincent Van Gogh ear recipient identified

The young woman to whom Vincent Van Gogh gave his severed ear has been named as Gabrielle Berlatier.

The Art Newspaper tracked down the farmer's daughter's full name after a new book on the artist, published last week, referred to the woman.

The discovery of her name comes after it was suggested Van Gogh cut off his entire ear, rather than part of it, BBC News reported.

Gabrielle was working as a maid in a brothel when she was given the strange gift, according to the new research.

Van Gogh is said to have handed over the ear to her with the words "keep this object carefully".

Author Bernadette Murphy referred to the woman in Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story, which was published last week.

She said she had promised the woman's descendants she would keep her surname a secret, until they gave her permission to reveal it.

Following the book's publication, The Art Newspaper followed up details in the book and found Gabrielle's name in the records of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, where she had been treated for rabies after being bitten by a dog.