Autograph letter signed to the painter Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot
Paris [1832] ◇ 12,2 x 18,6 cm ◇ a bifolium

Autograph letter signed by painter Elis­abeth Vigée-Lebrun addressed to his­torical painter and portraitist Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot. Two pages in black ink on a bifolium. Autograph address of Mme Haudebourt, 19 rue Rochefou­cauld, on verso of second leaf. Usual horizontal folds, tear without damage to the text on the second leaf due to the wax seal. A bibliographer's note in blue pencil on the verso of the last leaf.
Vigée Le Brun likely wrote this letter in 1832 upon the death of their mutu­al friend Guillaume Guillon Lethière, a renowned painter born to a free person of color in Guadeloupe, and mentor to Hortense Haudebourt: “I cannot express, Madame, how touched and grateful I am for your kind remem­brance. The drawing by M. Le Thier, which you so kindly sent to me this morning, moved me deeply, spark­ing both my gratitude for you and my sorrow for him”. Both Vigée Le Brun and Haudebourt-Lescot enjoyed im­mense fame during their lifetime. The latter was especially in demand for her portraits of high society in ad­dition to neo-classical history scenes. Their destinies reflect each other in many ways: Vigée Le Brun was Marie-Antoinette's official por­traitist, and Haudebourt fol­lowed in her footsteps, receiving the honors of the Duchess of Berry, the figurehead of legitimist monar­chism. This ex­ceptional letter testifies to their shared attachment to the painter Lethière, whom Vigée Le Brun had frequented during her exile from France in Rome, where he was a resident at the French Académie des Beaux-Arts. Their paths crossed again in Naples and she left in her Souvenirs the anecdote of their memorable ascent of Mount Vesuvius:
“M. Lethière, a very skilled history paint­er, was an enthusiast of the volcano. I re­member that day was Candlemas. We set off at about three o'clock with two of Mr Lethière's friends. The weather was fine, but when we reached the mountain, a fog rose up so thickly that it looked like enor­mous smoke. Everything disappeared before our eyes [...] Finally, the fog lifted, revealing the sea and the surrounding islands to the horizon—a vision of unpar­alleled beauty. [...] We went back up to watch the sunset. Its brilliant disc, with its immense rays, was reflected in the sea. We were ecstatic at the sight of this su­perb painting and everything that framed it. We returned to Naples with our sketches. Mr Lethière had drawn a picture of me coming down the mountain on my donkey.”
As for Haudebourt, she followed Le­thière to Italy in 1808 after his appoint­ment as director of the Academy in Rome, an exceptional trip for a woman at a time when the Prix de Rome did not allow female applicants. She stayed there until 1816, and made friends with the greatest artists of the time, notably Ingres and Canova. Her work as a paint­er allowed her to emancipate herself upon her return to France; she then rented a studio and founded a highly re­puted salon in her hotel rue Rochefou­cauld – to which this letter is addressed. Another resident of the flourishing Nou­velle Athènes district, Vigée Le Brun frequented her colleague's weekly ar­tistic and intellectual gatherings, along­side “painters Picot, Drölling and the sculptor David d'Angers [...] composers Rossini and Auber, playwrights Arnault and Scribe, and famous actors such as Talma, Mademoiselle Mars and Made­moiselle Duchesnois” (Paul Menoux).
Probably after the death of their friend, Vigée Le Brun received the drawing by Lethière mentioned in this letter: “I shall be very happy to thank you in person [...] I will receive you both with joy and eagerness because I have long wanted to see you again. Please accept, Mad­am, the assurance of the good feelings you have inspired in me for life.”
Precious and probably unpublished record of the bond between two im­mense artists, among the rare wom­en to make a living from their art in the early 19th century.

4 000 €

Réf : 86403

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