11 minute read
Art, Architecture, and Design
Suing the notorious Jay Gould for his failure to pay for “certain pictures of defendant together with frames for the same”
411. Mathew Brady Document Signed. Early American
photographer (1922–1896) known for his scenes of the Civil War and for his portraits of eminent politicians and other illustrious Americans. Extraordinary manuscript DS, signed “M. B. Brady,” one page both sides, 8 x 11.75, March 6, 1872. New York Superior Court document in the case of “Mathew B. Brady against Jay Gould,” in part: “The plaintiff by J. K. Herbert his attorney, complains…That on or about the 16th day of April A.D. 1869, the plaintiff made, sold, and delivered to the defendant certain pictures of defendant together with frames for the same…There remains due and unpaid thereon the sum of four hundred and sixty-nine dollars.” Brady boldly endorses a statement at the conclusion. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $300
Admission pass for the 1883 Brooklyn Bridge opening ceremonies
412. Brooklyn Bridge Opening Ceremony Ticket. Original engraved ticket by Tiffany & Co. for the historic opening ceremonies of the Brooklyn Bridge, 6.5 x 2.75, reading: “Opening Ceremonies, New York and Brooklyn Bridge, May twenty-fourth, 1883, Admit One, This ticket must be presented at the entrance.” An embossed element to the lower right depicts a leaf emblazoned “NY & BB.” In fine condition, with some light soiling and toning. The opening ceremonies included speeches, bands, cannon fire, and fireworks, with notable attendees including President Chester A. Arthur and future President Grover Cleveland, then governor of New York. Starting Bid $200
The great Surrealist draws a sketch for a benefactor while preparing the “paranoid spectacle of ‘Tristan Fou’”
413. Salvador Dali Autograph Letter Signed with
Sketch. ALS in French, signed “S. Dali,” one page, 6 x 9, no date. Handwritten letter to a friend, with a desirable sketch by the artist in the upper right corner: a simple landscape scene depicting two figures in the foreground, pointing at an enormous sun overhead. Dali writes, in part (translated): “You know that there are periods when just the thought of writing a letter plunges me into feelings of anguish? All that you have written me proves to me that you live in a mental climate of unsteady reality. Very interested to know that you are nearer to ‘The Critical Paranoiac Activity.’ Two sparkling sciences dealing with the Ruins of Marxism - Biology and Morphology.” Dali states that he will be in Paris for two months, preparing the “paranoid spectacle of ‘Tristan Fou’ with music by Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche.” He asks his friend to advance him more money towards the painting, because “money melts like magic there.” In fine condition, with a small hole to the lower right corner affecting one word of text.
The ‘paranoiac ballet’ adaptation of Richard Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde was written by Dali in 1936-38, but production and performance was stalled until 1944. Dali enacted total control over the project: he wrote Tristan Fou’s libretto, designed the stage and costumes, directed the play, and choreographed the entire piece in collaboration with Leonide Massine. After premiering with the Grand Ballet in New York City, the “paranoid spectacle” traveled to London, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Venice, and Paris between 1949 and 1958. Starting Bid $300
414. Salvador Dali Signed Book. Signed book: Essays of Michel
de Montaigne: Translated by Charles Cotton, Selected and Illustrated by Salvador Dali. Limited first edition, numbered 776/1000. NY: Doubleday & Company, 1947. Hardcover, 7 x 9.75, 472 pages. Signed nicely on the colophon in black ink by Dali. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG+/None, with an ownership inscription to first free end page. Starting Bid $200
The great painter of Paris theatre attends an opera by “the infamous Reyer, the lord of the score”
415. Edgar Degas Autograph Letter Signed. Important French painter and sculptor (1834–1917) regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism. ALS in French, signed “Degas,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 4 x 6.5, no date. Letter to a friend discussing the opera, with mentions of composer/critic Ernest Reyer and singer Rose Caron, renowned for her interpretations of Brunehild in Reyer’s Sigurd. In part (translated): “So when are you coming back? I’m asking you that, forgetting that you like the open fields, and that you are a garden-lover; it is there that I shall come one of these days to drop a Wagnerian cobblestone on your head. Thus, ‘twas I, the boor—subtly dominating the domain of modern plasticity, but more usually the imbiber of the honey of [the bees] of Hymettus from the opera Sigurd. I saw it again, and failed to meet Reyer at Muller’s cafe, to the right of the monument. The divine Mademoiselle Caron; I compared her (to her face) to the figures of Puvis de Chavanne, who she didn’t know about. Rhythm… rhythm! [I hope] that your good wife will give it back to me someday soon, in front of the infamous Reyer, the lord of the score.” In fine condition, with a slight brush to the signature.
Degas’ frequent visits to the opera, ballet, and café-concerts provided him with plenty of subjects for his artwork, which included two of the characters mentioned here: rough drawings of Reyer are present in sketchbooks from circa 1877, and he painted a portrait of Mme. Caron around 1892. A great letter evoking his consuming love of the theatre. Starting Bid $300
416. Juan Gris Autograph Letter Signed. Spanish painter
and sculptor (1887–1927) associated with Cubism. ALS in French, one page, 7 x 4.5, no date. Untranslated handwritten letter to a friend. In fine condition, with a central vertical fold. Starting Bid $200
419. Henri Matisse Signed Book. Signed book:
Ulysses. Limited edition, numbered 567/1500. NY: Limited Editions Club, 1935. Hardcover bound in brown cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering and beautiful embossed gilt decoration to front, 9.25 x 12, 363 pages. Signed on the colophon in pencil, “Henri Matisse.” Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/None, with cracked hinges, light rubbing to edges, and gentle bumps to lower corners.
One year after the decade-long ban on publishing Ulysses in the United States was lifted, George Macy of the Limited Edition Club commissioned Henri Matisse to illustrate a deluxe edition of Joyce’s masterpiece. While Joyce was excited to have such a prominent artist illustrate his work, he and Macy were somewhat disappointed to find that Matisse did not read the book and based his artwork entirely on Homer’s ancient epic The Odyssey. The resulting book, featuring six original soft-ground etchings by Matisse and twenty reproductions of his preliminary drawings, was published in a limited edition of 1500, all signed by the artist; the first 250 were signed by the author as well. Starting Bid $200
Matisse pulls strings at French Museum
420. Henri Matisse Typed Letter Signed. TLS in French, one page,
5 x 8.25, December 26, 1945. Letter referencing a museum and fellow artist Aristide Maillol, opening with nine words penned in Matisse’s own hand. In part (translated): “I lobbied Mr. Salles regarding your candidature. With my regrets, I forward the letter concerning you from the Director of the Musées de France. I hope that the affair of the statue of Maillol is on track to be realized.” Matted with an image of one of his works to an overall size of 18.75 x 12.75. In fine condition, with some light creasing. Starting Bid $200
422. Claude Monet Autograph Letter
Signed. ALS in French, two pages, 5.25 x 8, Giverny par Vernon letterhead, October 24, 1915. Untranslated handwritten letter by Monet, penned from his famous Giverny gardens. In fine condition. Starting Bid $300
421. Claude Monet Signed Calling Card.
Personal calling card belonging to Claude Monet, 3.75 x 2.25, who has signed in purple ink, “Cl. M.,” and added a brief sentiment in French above. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200 423. Berthe Morisot Autograph Letter Signed. French
painter (1841–1895) considered one of the greatest female Impressionists alongside Mary Cassatt. She was married to Eugene Manet, the brother of her friend and colleague Edouard Manet. ALS in French, signed “B. Manet,” one page, 5.25 x 4.75, January 22, 1899. Untranslated handwritten letter by the pioneering female Impressionist. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Choice photograph of Picasso with rare, lengthy inscription to his best friend, the sculptor Jaime Sabartes
424. Pablo Picasso Signed Photograph. Vintage matte-finish 7 x 9.25 photo of Picasso bundled up for chilly weather, signed and inscribed in fountain pen to his best friend, the Spanish sculptor and writer Jaime Sabartes, “Para Jaime Sabartes, esta fotografia hecha en Tolosa en donde estuvimos juntos este invierno, Picasso, 1946.” Reverse bears a “Photo Boix, J.S.U.” credit stamp. In very fine condition.
Picasso first met Sabartes in 1899 when they were both just eighteen years old and began a lifelong friendship. Sabartes initiated the establishment of the Museu Picasso in Barcelona with the donation of his personal collection, which consisted of nearly six hundred of Picasso’s works. A beautiful and very significant photo with a superb association. Starting Bid $500
in French, signed “C. Pissarro,” written in pencil on the front of his 3.75 x 2.25 personal calling card, November 3, 1901. Handwritten letter to a doctor, in full (translated): “I am more or less settled; if you wish to see my series of Dieppe and Eragny, come on Monday or Tuesday morning before the paintings are shipped away. Best personal regards to your wife from us both.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Artistic correspondence from the master sculptor to his colleague: “As for the statuary group, it is still at the plaster-mold maker’s”
426. Auguste Rodin Autograph Letter Signed. ALS in French, signed
“A. Rodin,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.25 x 6.75, July 18, 1882. Lengthy handwritten letter to the painter and etcher Alphonse Legros, in part (translated): “Monsieur Chenier is sending your medals and engravings today. I don’t know why he kept them for so long. As for the statuary group, it is still at the plaster-mold maker’s; he probably has a great deal of work. From there I am going to have it cast...but you know that Liard doesn’t work very fast, for he does everything himself and his patina takes a long time to do...As for your portrait, I took the liberty of sending it to Antwerp, to the exposition, along with the one of Monsieur Lamour...I am going to write to Monsieur Tonides to tell him that his mask has been received and to thank him warmly for the magnificent block of stone he gave me.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Rousseau celebrates the 25th anniversary of his Groupe des Indépendants exhibition
427. Henri Rousseau Autograph Letter Signed. Important French post-
impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner (1844–1910) known for his lush jungle paintings and stylized portraits. Recognized as a self-taught genius, his work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists. Extremely rare ALS in French, signed “H. Rousseau,” one page, 5.25 x 8.25, June 2, 1910. Writing from Paris ninety days before his death, Rousseau invites his correspondent to a party celebrating his work. In part: “Tomorrow night, I’ll give a small party for my anniversary and for the quarter century that I have shown my work with the Indépendants. I hope that your health as well as that of your better half is good, and that both of you will be willing to honor this family party with your presence. In this hope, I send you my very cordial handshake.” He pens his address as “2 bis rue Perrel,” and adds a brief postscript: “My workload goes over my head, but I have also invited our friend Bouillon tomorrow night, Friday at 9.” In fine condition, with scattered small stains. This is the first Rousseau letter that we have handled.
His artwork rejected by the official Salon, Rousseau had exhibited for the first time with the Groupe des Indépendants in 1885, showing his canvases ‘Italian Dance’ and ‘Sunset.’ He would continue to exhibit with the Société des Artistes Indépendants for the rest of his career. He enjoyed throwing parties, and the silver jubilee of his first Indépendants exhibition event proved to be a fine excuse for one; his circle of friends included Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Guillaume Apollinaire, and others of the artistic persuasion, and they regularly reveled together. Starting Bid $200
