Sebastien le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban Autograph Letter Signed.... (Total: 2 )

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Buy Now:

$1,875.00 Includes Buyer's Premium (BP) Buy Now

Post-Auction Buys
for Direct Sale

We are accepting offers until 8:00 AM CT Thursday, March 12, 2026 on this item that didn't sell in the recent 2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction.

Ties go to the first offer received and there is no guarantee any offer will be accepted. You will be contacted by 8:00 AM CT Thursday, March 12, 2026 via e-mail to let you know which offers are accepted. You will then be invoiced and your lot(s) will be shipped as if you had won them in the auction.

Purchasing means that you agree to our
Terms and Conditions, and return policy.

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Share this lot

Inquire Sell One of These Print Fact Sheet

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

Sebastien le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban Autograph Letter Signed. One page of a bifolium (in French), 6 3/4 x 9 inches, Paris; April 14, 1703. A rare letter from the Marquis de Vauban, one of the most influential military engineers in European history, addressing questions of naval construction and ship design for the French fleet. Writing to the Intendant of the Navy at Toulon, Monsieur de Vauvre, Vauban weighs the relative merits of different ship hull forms, expressing preference for traditional construction. The letter reads, in part (in translation):

"I am in favor of simple hulls because they are familiar to us, and I am not against hulls with a forward rake, but since I am not familiar with them and I do not know how you intend to secure the ballast at the bottom and attach the rudder, I reserve my judgment, and to be frank with you, I would be delighted not to get involved any further."

With integral address panel to "Monsieur de Vauvre" and largely intact red wax seal on the verso, bearing Vauban's coat of arms and motto. Includes the original transmittal cover and an engraving of Vauban by W. T. Fry, published by Charles Knight in London.

Vauban served Louis XIV as France's foremost military engineer and strategist. His principles of fortification defined European defensive architecture for nearly a century after his death, while elements of his offensive doctrines remained influential well into the modern era. Viewing infrastructure as inseparable from military strength, he oversaw extensive improvements to France's ports, roads, and canals, and founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, formalizing an engineering curriculum based on his own systematic theories of design and warfare.

A fascinating letter that directly reflects the practical military and naval decision-making that secured Vauban's enduring historical legacy.

Condition: Lightly toned with smoothed folds. A few very light stains. Loss at the right edge on the verso where letter was sealed.