The mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s missing ear took an interesting twist this week, when German historians argued that the painter did not cut off his lobe on his own, and that friend Paul Gauguin did the deed.

More — er — romantic art historians may claim that Van Gogh cut off his ear to present it as a gift to a prostitute he fancied, but the "official version" claimed that Van Gogh cut it off after a fight with his live-in friend Gauguin and then gave it to a prostitute for reasons unknown. Well, that story may be debunked now that Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans, two historians based in Hamburg, have published Van Gogh’s Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence. According to Kaufmann and Wildegans, the artists were living together and, right after Christmas of 1888, had grown discontent and Gauguin said he was moving out, which sparked a fight with Van Gogh.

The Guardian helps fill in the blanks:

The official version of events, based largely on Gauguin’s accounts, contain inconsistencies and that both artists hinted that the truth was more complex.

Kaufmann told the Guardian: ‘Near the brothel, about 300 metres from the Yellow House, there was a final encounter between them: Vincent might have attacked him, Gauguin wanted to defend himself and to get rid of this ‘madman.’ He drew his weapon, made some movement in the direction of Vincent and by that cut off his left ear.’ Kaufmann said it was not clear if it was an accident or an aimed hit.

A key component of the mystery: Van Gogh once wrote to his brother and intimated that Gauguin cut him: "Luckily Gauguin … is not yet armed with machine guns and other dangerous war weapons."