home
catalogue index
rare books
manuscripts
autographs
works of art
contact

 

40. [BRAHMS, Johannes:] Two business cards of Johannes Brahms, with address of IV. Karlsgasse 4.

The first has, on verso, an MS note in an indecipherable hand, dated 23 March 1888, with a further note in a different hand translating it and stating that it gives ‘congratulations upon birth of Edward R. Speyer, born 18th March 1888’. With envelope addressed, again in Brahms’s hand, to Edward Speyer in Frankfurt-am-Main and postmarked 23 March 1888 . The second has another indecipherable note on verso, and a later transcript in German, stating it was sent from Vienna , 27 June 1890 . This is also accompanied by an envelope addressed in Brahms’s hand to Edward Speyer, Frankfurt-am-Main, and is postmarked 27 June 1890.

*Edward Speyer, German/English music agent and a great friend of Brahms.

£ 1,800

Major 19th & 20th century artists autographs

41A. [BRAQUE, Georges] Elgar, Frank: Braque 1906–1920. The Little Library of Art. London , Methuen 1958.

16mo., 14 unnumbered pages, plus 15 coloured plates of Braque’s works. Paperback, colour image of a painting by Braque on front cover. Signed on the title-page ‘G. Braque 60’. Together with, possibly related, a letter from a director of the Galerie Louis Leiris, Paris , to Mr. P. B. Dyson of Bradford , dated October 5th 1972, writing in response to a letter of October 2nd that he has no handwriting of Braque to spare.

41B. [CHAGALL, Marc:] Postcard of Chagall’s painting ‘The Fiddler’, signed at the bottom ‘Marc Chagall’, with attached to the verso, a full sheet of United Nations 6 cents stamps of the Chagall Window, 1967 (the image of the window is spread over six separate stamps).

With an envelope, possibly self-addressed to a recipient in West Yorkshire , postmarked 29 May 1981 , and with a return address of V. Chagall in St. Paul de France.

41C. [CHIRICO, Giorgio de:] Blue card, signed on one side ‘Giorgio de Chirico’.

41D. [COROT, JEAN B. C.:] Envelope, to an indecipherable addressee in Limoges, postmarked Paris, 26 July 1870, in hand of Corot, with stamp torn out, sender is given in top right hand corner as ‘Corot’.

41E. [DUBUFFET, Jean:] Postcard of Dubuffet’s painting ‘Spinning Round’, signed on verso ‘Jean Dubuffet’.

The card comes with its original envelope, from Dubuffet’s secretary and addressed to a recipient in West Yorkshire . It is postmarked 14 February 1982 . The same recipient has self-addressed the actual postcard and added a stamp to this, presumably so that it could have been put by Dubuffet or an assistant straight in the post.

41F. [ERNST, Max:] Postcard of Ernst’s painting ‘Femme, vieillard et fleur’ (1923–4) signed on verso ‘Max Ernst’.

41G. [KOONING, Willem de] Elgar, Frank: Modern Painting V. Abstract Painting. The Little Library of Art. London , Methuen , 1965.

16mo., pp. 48. Colour illustrations throughout. Paperback, colour illustration on front cover. Signed on title-page ‘Willem de Kooning 70’.

41H. [LEGER, Fernand:] Note from Leger, one side of octavo, written crossways and folded, dated 11 November 1928, to a recipient with an almost indecipherable name, possibly called Claude de Rodder, saying that he is expecting him Friday morning between 11.30 and 12.30. With a postcard of Leger’s painting ‘La partie de campagne’.

41I. [LICHTENSTEIN Roy:] Postcard of Lichtenstein’s painting ‘Whaam! 1963’ signed in bottom blank margin ‘To Peter[,] Roy Lichtenstein’.

41J. [MIRÒ, Joan:] Modern Painting III. Expressionists to Surrealists. Paris , Methuen 1965.

16mo., pp. 47 [i], pp. 3–4 removed. Colour illustrations throughout. Paperback, colour illustration on front cover. Signed on title-page ‘Miro 1972’.

41K. [MOORE, Henry:] Full-page 4to. photograph of Moore , in his studio at Much Hadham, Herts., inscribed in blank bottom margin ‘to James & Sally from Henry Moore’.

The photograph has been printed on a page of normal rather than photo- graphic paper and from its thickness, appears to be taken from a book or high- quality magazine rather than from e.g. a newspaper supplement. On the verso is a description of photographing the Regius Professors of Oxford, with a list of the subjects of this other.

41L.[NICHOLSON, Ben:] Postcard of Nicholson’s painting ‘September 6–53 (aztec)’.

Signed on front in bottom blank margin ‘Ben Nicholson’.

41M.[PICASSO, Pablo:] Picasso. Papiers collés. The Little Library of Art, Methuen . Paris , 1960.

16mo., 14 unnumbered pages followed by 15 colour plates of Picasso’s works. Paperback, colour picture of a work by Picasso on front cover. Signed on title-page ‘Picasso le 15.2.66’.

41N.[VLAMINCK, Maurice de (1876–1958):] Autograph letter signed, octavo, two pages, dated 29 March 1957, from Vlaminck to Marcelo Anchorena, thanking him and his wife Hortensia for lending the memoirs of the Duchess of Windsor.

He will return this and other books when he has finished reading them. He remembers a short visit they made. He makes a brief remark about a book called ‘Fausse-Couleur’. With its original envelope, postmarked 30 March 1957 and addressed to an apartment in Paris.

£ 8,000 - items 55A - 55N

45. DICKENS, Charles: Autograph letter signed, 1 page, octavo, dated Sunday 16th May 1869 , to ‘F.C.’, with the embossment of the Athenaeum Club, asking to be sent a copy of the Splendid Cities of Zulu London (‘— I believe you published the book?’).

In a frame, alongside an engraving of the author, with a facsimile signature below.

*There is no book by this title in COPAC (the online union catalogue of British institutional libraries).

£ 1,500

46. FARADAY, Michael: Autograph letter signed, 1 page, octavo, dated Royal Institution, 5th Nov. 1841 , to M. F. Tupper, in a card frame alongside an engraved portrait of the scientist, with a facsimile signature below.

Faraday informs Mr. Tupper: ‘On returning to England I found your extraordinary & very acceptable present and must heartily thank you for it. The matter is most astonishing and almost incredible but who shall limit the powers which govern nature and her operations? Who shall limit their author? It is for us only to observe. I put trust in your statements of precautions taken but it would be worth a great deal and much trouble to repeat the result’.

Martin Francis Tupper (1810–1889) was a poet who also made inventions and carried out experiments including the growing of ‘mummy wheat’, wheat grains found in an ancient Egyptian tomb, of which he was given 12 grains in 1838. One of these seeds germinated, and from this Tupper grew a considerable crop over a number of years. Faraday, a correspondent of Tupper, read a report on this to the Royal Institution. We do not know if it is to this experiment or to another that Faraday is referring.

£ 1,500

47. FREUD, Sigmund: Autograph letter signed, postcard, one side (verso blank), German language, dated 25 January 1930 and written, to an unknown recipient, on Freud’s own printed stationery (‘Prof. Dr. Freud, Wien, IX., Berggasse 19’).

‘Dear Sir, I thank you for your generosity in sending me your interesting study. Are you not always more influenced by Dostoevsky than by me? Yours sincerely, Freud.’

£ 5,000

49. HARTE, Brett: Autograph letter signed, 12mo., both sides, address printed as 15 Upper Hamilton Terrace, N.W., to K. Lehmann, esq., dated 10th December ’90; mounted in a frame with an engraved portrait of the author.

Harte writes to say that he cannot accept an invitation for the 16th on account of a previous (and postponed) engagement. He asks that the recipient ‘pray accept my regrets that I cannot therefore partake of your kind and neighbourly hospitality, with Mr. Piete[?] and your other friends’.

£ 600

The Emperor of Japan

50. HIROHITO, Emperor of Japan : Autograph letter signed to King George II of Greece, Tokyo, 14 July 1938.

Folio (45.5 x 30.7 cm.), manuscript, one side, Japanese letter, gilt bordering. Elaborate rigid folding case of black morocco, lettering stamped on front cover in gilt, silk endpapers, letter loosely held with acid-free silk corners under folding-out transparent inner cover, bordered in silk.

Presentation copy

£ 28,000

 

65. THACKERAY, William Makepeace: Autograph letter signed, 12mo., 1 side, written ‘Wednesday’

Addressed 36 Onslow Square although on the embossed paper of the Reform Club, saying ‘Dear Mrs. Parker, I beg you a hundred pardons. I was ill in bed on Monday and better part of yesterday: and intended to call to day and say I would dine with much pleasure’. Mounted and framed, with an engraved portrait of Thackeray with facsimile below.

£ 700

Original Drawing

66. WARHOL, Andy. The philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again). London , Cassell, 1975.

Octavo, pp. 241. FIRST EDITION Presentation copy Provenance; signed by author ‘To Ian [Reddington, “Tricky Dicky” in Eastenders]. Dog . . . Andy Warhol, London 1975’ With an original drawing of dog's head on the half-title, publisher's cloth, dust-jacket, with an unusual inscription in that Warhol has drawn a dog’s head, and not the familiar soup. A very fine copy.

£ 3,000