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Denis Diderot Autograph Letter Signed....
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Description
Diderot Serves as a Legal Representative During the Time he Works on his Encyclopedie
Denis Diderot Autograph Letter Signed. One page of a
bifolium, 7 x 9 ½ inches, no place; October 13, 1761.A letter written in French in which Diderot represents Monsieur Belle, a jeweler, who had been assigned the task of resetting a set of diamonds belonging to the Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony. On behalf of Belle, Diderot requests permission to sell two diamonds that did not belong to the piece. "
Translated into English, the letter reads, in part:
"When it became time to collect the diamonds in Madame La Dauphine's set of jewels, Sir Belle, Jeweler, St-Louis Street, with whom I had the pleasure of speaking as an upright, distinguished man, received your order, included.
One of these orders bestowed upon her a few stones designated by their value and weight, or having either belonged to the set or being suitable to recreate it. However, it was discovered that one thing neither belonged to the set... Upon comparing the stones from Sir Belle with the remaining bezels from the set of jewels, we noticed that the stones belonged exactly with those of the set, and that set was recreated without having need of Sir Belle's stones.
I beg you, sir, to allow him to sell these stones that are of a considerable price, that were kept until the present moment out of respect for your instructions, but that cannot be kept any longer without issue or consequence.
I deserve your protection and the same justice that you have given to his brethren, and I dare demand it for him.
Your most humble and obedient servant
Diderot."
Before rising to prominence as an encyclopedist and philosopher, Denis Diderot pursued a number of career paths that included the law. After receiving a Master of Arts from the University of Paris in 1732, Diderot studied law as a clerk under Clément de Ris. In 1734, Diderot abandoned all professional pursuits and decided to become a writer and adopt a bohemian lifestyle; he was disowned by his family.
Diderot was a key figure during the Age of Enlightenment. He served as the co-founder and chief editor of the Encyclopédie alongside fellow polymath Jean le Rond d'Alembert. Alongside his encyclopedic ambitions, Diderot began publishing translations and treatises as early as 1743. Raised Catholic, Diderot experienced a religious crisis in the early 1740s that led him to become an outspoken atheist. Because of this, Diderot was arrested in July 1749 and sent to solitary confinement for four months. Less than a year later, he published his prospectus for the Encyclopédie. He would continue working on his Encyclopédie until its completion of twenty-eight volumes in 1772. As evidenced by this letter, his literary pursuits did not provide an income, and he turned to his legal training to support himself while he completed his Encyclopédie.
Diderot letters seldom appear at auction, and this is the first we have seen written in his capacity as a legal representative.
Condition: Creased along folds with light dampstaining along the left and bottom margin, slightly affecting the appearance of the letter. Very minor foxing to the right margin.
Provenance: The Rendell Gallery.
Auction Info
2023 December 15 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6280 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2023
15th
Friday
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