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Lot 1376
NAPOLEON I: (1769-1821) Emperor of France 1804-14, 1815. An unusual content report signed by Napoleon, L.S., `N´, a large and bold capital letter, three pages, folio, St. Cloud, 30th March 1808, in French. The document being a report sent and signed `Clarke´, by the Minister of war Clarke to the Emperor, reporting on an officer who stabbed himself because he was not accepting his retreat and wished to continue serving the Emperor. Clarke states in part `...lorsque le conseil d´administration a fait les dispositions nécessaires pour renvoyer ces officiers dans leurs foyers, en exécution des ordres que je lui ai adressé à ce sujet, trois d´entre eux ont réclamé tant en leur nom qu´en celui des autres dont l´un d´entre eux s´est poignardé de désespoir, contre leur admission à la retraite, en alléguant que c´était à leur insu qu´ils avaient été proposés pour cette récompense par le colonel, et qu´ils n´avaient aucune infirmité qui pût les empêcher de continuer leur service...´ (Translation: "...when the board made the necessary arrangements to send these officers home, in execution of the orders that I sent to them on this subject, three of them demanded both in their name and in that of the others, one of them stabbed himself in despair, against their admission to retirement, alleging that it was without their knowledge that they had been proposed for this by the Colonel, and that they had not no infirmity which could prevent them from continuing their service...") Further Clarke tries in some way to explain to Napoleon what he considers is an unfair situation, and asks for the Emperor´s decision, stating `..cet officier a élevé les plus vives réclamations contre le despotisme dont il a accusé son chef à son égard, en voulant le forcer de se retirer, quoiqu´il se trouve parfaitement en état de continuer ses services: il m´a remis la déclaration ci-jointe par laquelle il demande à rester au corps. Je trouve que sa demande est fondée et que la justice qu´il réclame a éte´reconnue par le régiment. J´ignore ce que Sa Majesté a pourvu... En attendant j´ai cru devoir suspendre toute décision sur cette affaire pour en soumettre les détails à Sa Majesté´ (Translation: "..this officer raised the strongest complaints against the despotism of which he accused his leader towards him, by wanting to force him to retreat, although he found himself perfectly able to continue his services: he handed over to me the attached declaration by which he requests to remain with the corps. I find that his request is well-founded and that the justice he demands has been recognized by the regiment. I do not know what His Majesty has provided... In the meantime I thought it necessary to suspend any decision on this matter to submit the details to His Majesty...") Napoleon signs to the left border, beneath an annotation dictated by him, stating `Renvoyé au Viceroi pour connaitre ce que cela veut dire´ (Translation: "Forwarded to the Viceroy to learn what all this means"). Accompanied by a letter of the Chief of the 4th military Division, being an extract of a letter written by General Pille reporting on the same matter.Henri-Jacques-Guillaume Clarke (1765-1818) 1st Duc de Feltre. Franco-Irish General in the French Revolutionary Wars. Minister of War under Napoleon, 1807-14, 1815 & 1815-17. Marshal of France.
Lot 683
BELLMER HANS: (1902-1975) German Surrealist artist and photographer. A good A.L.S., with his initial H, one page, 4to, Castres, 12th March 1946, to [Joe Bousquet] (‘Mon tres cher ami’), in French. Bellmer states that he has not heard from his friend since returning to Castres, observing ‘C'est peut-etre de ma faute: comment repondre a mes lettres de desarroi et de desespoir?’ (Translation: ‘It may be my fault: how to respond to my letters of dismay and despair?’) and continues ‘J'ai retrouve un peu mon equilibre, ayant reussi a forcer mon epouse de me rendre les objets et les documents voles etc…… Tout cela est plus odieux que j'aurais jamais pu le croire: l'imagination ignore ce plan. Il faut etre concierge, flic, canaille pour y nager sans consternation’ (Translation: ‘I regained my balance a little, having succeeded in forcing my wife to give me back the stolen objects and documents etc……All this is more odious than I could ever have believed: the imagination ignores this plan. You have to be a janitor, a cop, a scoundrel to swim there without consternation’), further adding ‘Je suis desole de penser que je n'ai pas encore fait le dessin-frontispiece que vous m'avez demande: depuis que je vous ai quitte, la derniere fois a carcassonne, je n'ai plus touche a un crayon. Je ne sais plus ce que c'est dessiner. Mais des le moment ou je touche a un crayon, ce sera pour vous’ (Translation: ‘I’m sorry to think that I haven’t yet done the drawing-frontispiece that you asked me to: since I left you, the last time in Carcassonne, I haven’t touched a pencil. I don’t know what drawing is anymore. But the moment I touch a pencil, it will be for you’), Bellmer also writes despairingly of his book Les Jeux, ‘j'ai des soucis permanents......La fabrication est compliquee, les difficultes sont partout, mais, surtout, mon editeur n'a ni argent, ni initiative. Etant oblige de passer sans cesse a Paris, d'y depenser des sommes incroyables, enfin, a ce compte-la j'aurais pu faire le livre tout seul’ (Translation: ‘I have permanent worries……The production is complicated, the difficulties are everywhere, but, above all, my publisher has neither money nor initiative. Being obliged to constantly go to Paris, to spend incredible sums there, well, on this account I could have written the book alone’) and asks if his correspondent has received a copy of Evidence du Surrealisme. A couple of very minor, light creases, VG Joe Bousquet (1897-1950) French poet, often associated with Surrealism.
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366 item(s)/page