Description:

Claude Monet ALS Mentioning 2 French Premiers Incl. Clemenceau, Penned Contemporaneously To His Famed Haystack Series

A 2pp autograph letter in French signed by Impressionist artist Claude Monet (1840-1926), as "Claude Monet" near the center of the second page. Written at Monet's home at Giverny par Vernon Eure, France on "Sunday morning," or December 21, 1890. Boldly inscribed on two sides of the bifold paper in vivid purple ink, Monet's preferred color for correspondence. Expected wear including flattened mail folds, and a minor closed tear along the left edge of the first page. Some ink transference, else near fine. 4.5" x 7." Accompanied by its original transmittal envelope also engrossed by Monet, letter-opened and partly torn verso, with isolated water stains, good.

Monet wrote this letter to his friend Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898), the well-known French poet, art critic, salon host, and social influencer. Monet's oldest son Jean Monet (1867-1914), a sergeant in the Third Corps of the French Army, had been seriously ill that winter. Monet and Mallarmé had recently worked together to pull some bureaucratic strings in order to extend Jean's medical leave. Monet happily reported that Jean's prospects for future convalescence looked good.

Translated in part, with punctuation silently added to improve clarity:

"Giverny par Vernon

Sunday morning

Dear Friend,

Two words, very quickly, to thank you and to tell you where things are. M. Hanotaux personally saw Freycinet, who promised to take care of the request and to follow up with it, if it is possible - on the other part, Clemenceau also went to see the Minister who made him the same promise…I believe that a word otherwise addressed by Marshal Canrobert can only decide success.

So I believe that this is the best course. I may not write you a longer letter, if my letters are to get to you by this evening.

Thank you, thank you.

Your friend,
Claude Monet

The same request was also made to General du Guiny, general in chief of the 3rd corps, upon whom Jean depends and who can lend support…"

Monet's letter mentions several famous French Third Republic statesmen and military commanders. Among these were two current and future French premiers: Charles de Freycinet (1828-1923), who served as Prime Minister of France from March 1890 to February 1892, and also acted as Minister of War from April 1888 to January 1893; and Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), then an influential member of the French Chamber of Deputies, who would serve as French Prime Minister from 1906-1909 and 1917-1920.

Other important figures mentioned by Monet in this letter include:

- Gabriel Hanotaux (1853-1944), a career civil servant who would serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1890s.

- Marshal François Certain de Canrobert (1809-1895), a veteran of the Crimean War, Franco-Prussian War, and conquest of Algeria, who then served as a Senator from Charente.

- Edmond Louis du Guiny (1828-1914), commander of the Third Corps of the French Army from February 1888 to October 1893.

Elsewhere, Monet stated that he was just "a painter" who would never approach such important bureaucrats with such an appeal. This did not impede him from using his own influence nor that of his friends or acquaintances to achieve his ends, however.

Claude Monet is considered a foundational figure in the artistic movement known as Impressionism; indeed, his 1872 painting entitled "Impression, Sunrise" inadvertently gave its name to the artistic school. No subject was too mundane for the Impressionists; to them, a haystack coated in frost or a pair of battered old shoes could be imbued with the same significance as a religious painting or an historical scene. Impressionists painted quickly, often using rapid and fluid brush strokes. In this way, their work was much more spontaneous, in spirit and form, than those sanctioned by the Academy. Monet's unique handwriting, with its series of disconnected vertical lines and flowing direction, resembles painting in more ways than traditional writing.

Claude Monet lived at Giverny, a village in Normandy located 76 km north of Paris, between 1883 and his death in 1926. During his residency there, Monet added a studio, expanded his gardens, and constructed a Japanese-inspired footbridge. His home was a combination of sophisticated and rustic; in the kitchen furnished with plain table and chairs, the yellow-painted walls were decorated with vivid Japanese woodblock prints.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000