Autograph letters from painters, sculptors, musicians, choreographers, dancers, manuscripts, signed notes and postcards

Unpublished and signed autograph score by Camille Saint-Saëns. Two pages of handwritten music for solo voice and piano, on an oblong bifolium with twenty staves. Autograph inscription on the first page signed by Saint-Saëns, with his signature and date ("Nov. 1870") appearing again on the second page.
Trace of vertical fold, with a tiny tear along the fold, a small marginal tear on 1 cm of the first page, without damage to the manuscript.

An exceptional unpublished autograph manuscript of a Persian melody for voice and piano, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns during the Siege of Paris in November 1870, enriched with a autograph inscription: 'A...

"It's war!" we shouted that night, over and over again. The terrible word brought us bad luck... It was 1913: the following year, we were packing our kits again. This time, for real. And not all the guests came back." p. 335

First edition, one of only 6 copies printed on Hollande, this being copy no. 1 of the deluxe issue.
Bound in navy blue morocco backed boards with corners, spine very lightly sunned with raised bands, gilt date at foot, marbled paper-covered boards and endpapers, edges untrimmed, top edge gilt, covers and spine preserved. Binding signed Lavaux.
A fine copy with wide margins, attractively bound.
Bookplate...

Original signed drawing in pencil and pink crayon by Antoine de Saint-Ex­upéry, on “Navarre” watermarked paper. Horizontal fold, annotation in pencil in upper left-hand corner, min­ute tears in lower margin.

Precious drawing signed by Saint-Exupéry – the writer-artist very rarely signed his graphic works – of a caricature character, sharing some of the writer's own features.

“Yes I have sarcasm in my words, yes I do not know how to flatter and bend my back, how to beg in official salons […] I am nothing but a braying schemer, but if I had submitted - yes I would be comfortable."

Long autograph letter dated August 1896 and signed by Paul Gauguin to painter Daniel de Monfreid. Four pages in black ink on two lined sheets.
Small tears to margins not affecting the text, traces of folds inherent to sending.
In the midst of his descent into hell, abandoned in his Tahitian artificial paradise, Gauguin feels cursed : “Definitely, I was born under a bad...

Autograph letter dated and signed by Edgar Degas, addressed to the dealer Charles Deschamps, director of Durand-Ruel’s London branch. Three pages in ink on a bifolium.
Minor marginal tears not affecting the text, folds from mailing.
Recently returned from New Orleans, Degas writes to his London dealer to announce the imminent arrival of a delicate composition of dancers, Le Foyer de la danse à l’Opéra de la rue Le Peletier, now held at the Musée d’Orsay: "In the meantime you will receive the little picture you saw in progress and which you had the idea of selling to Mr. Huth - May you succeed! [...] As for the price, it seems to me that...

Autograph letter dated and signed by Antoni Tàpies addressed to his close friend, art critic Georges Raillard, the greatest French specialist of his work (16 lines in blue ballpoint pen from Barcelona).
Fold marks inherent to the letter's mailing, envelope included.
Having directed the French Institute of Barcelona from 1964 to 1969, Georges Raillard befriended and collaborated with numerous Spanish and Catalan artists including Joan Miro and Antoni Tapies, whose biographies he would also write.
The Catalan artist regrets not being able to participate in the farewell dinner organized by his friends Georges and Alice Raillard but does not despair of seeing...

Autograph letter dated and signed by Antoni Tàpies addressed to his close friend the art critic Georges Raillard, the greatest French specialist of his work (19 lines in blue ballpoint pen from Barcelona).
Fold marks inherent to the letter's envelope placement, envelope included.
Having directed the French Institute of Barcelona from 1964 to 1969, Georges Raillard formed friendships and collaborated with numerous Spanish and Catalan artists including Joan Miro and Antoni Tapies, whose biographies he would also write.
The Catalan artist relays the notion of "art impliqué" recently employed in Catalonia: "... je viens de voir une citation... dans...

Ah, Westminster
Fol inventeur
Aurais-tu peur
De compter jusqu'à douze ?

Dans sa triste chambre
Le petit s'endort
Il gèle à pierre fendre
Le froid le dévore

On l'a trouvé dans son lit
Mort dans un sourire
Et Jésus là-haut s'est dit
Ca m'ôte un souci

Quand fleurit le marronnier du square
Autour de nous, le printemps se prépare
De ses doigts verts, il bat le jeu
Donnant aux deux amoureux
Un as de coeur, la carte du bonheur

La première fois, sur ton tailleur bleu
Un grand foulard vert !

Fausse note

La seconde fois, j'ai baisé ta main

Tu sentais...

"CLAC: Cercle Littéraire des amis des caves / Cercle libre des amateurs de cuisse." ["Literary Circle of...

Il était né à Bois Colombe
Mais ne rêvait que d'océan
Et l'appel des sirènes blondes
Lui travaillait déjà le sang
Un soir en sortant de...

Quand
J'descends dans mon bistro
J'mets vingt ball'dans l'phono

C'est en allant acheter des nougats
Aux magasins du printemps
Que j'entendis pour la première fois
Ce cha cha cha obsédant

Un poisson d'avril
Est venu me raconter
Qu'on lui avait pris
Sa jolie corde à sauter

Toi l'inconnu(e)
Ombre entrevue
Tendre mirage
Soleil de ma vie
Emporte mes soucis

Un beau matin
En suivant la fanfare
Je vis soudain
Devant la gare
Une belle enfant
Qui vendait des mouchoirs
Pour vingt-cinq francq
Devant la gare

Autograph letter signed by Camille Pissarro, one page on a folded bifolium. A few tears along the horizontal and vertical fold lines, not affecting the text; small paper loss to the margin of the blank leaf.
Unpublished letter from Camille Pissarro, written in an especially graceful hand, addressed to his friend the painter Maximilien Luce.

Adélaïïïïïde lui dis-je
Je vous aime d'amour
Mon oeil timiiiiide
Vous doit son plus beau jour
Question vocabulaire, c'est pas brillant
Adélaïïïïïde
Faites-moi signe et j'accours !...