art, architecture, and design
The great painter of Paris theatre attends an opera by “the infamous Reyer, the lord of the score”
416. Edgar Degas Autograph Letter Signed. 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
417. Eugene Delacroix Autograph Letter Signed. French artist (1798–1863) who takes a place in the first rank of painters in the Romantic tradition and whose mastery of color and technique inspired both the Impressionist and Symbolist schools. ALS in French, signed “E. Delacroix,” one page, 5.25 x 8, no date. Untranslated handwritten letter to a gentleman. In fine condition, with a rusty paperclip impression to the top edge. Starting Bid $200
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September 15, 2021 | MILITARY
