STENDHAL (1783-1842). - Lot 191

Lot 191
Go to lot
Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
STENDHAL (1783-1842). - Lot 191
STENDHAL (1783-1842). De L'Amour; by the author of the Histoire de la peinture en Italie, et des Vies de Haydn, Mozart et Métastase (Paris, Librairie universelle de P. Mongie l'aîné, 1822); 2 volumes in-12 (18,3 x 11 cm), 2 ff, III -232 pp. and 2 ff. and 330 pp. ; contemporary hardback, yellow printed title-pieces on the spine, untrimmed, blue half-maroquin covers and slipcase [Devauchelle]. Curious copy, "as issued", containing 35 handwritten annotations in graphite (9 in volume I and 26 in volume II). One reads the name of Beyle in manuscript, although erased, on the title pages. These annotations restore names in full as well as censored terms in the margins. Volume I: pages 21, 41, 70 and 71, 80, 103, 105, 147, 200. Volume II: pages 33, 35, 50, 57, 67, 71, 73, 141, 142, 144, 162, 185, 195, 197, 199, 202, 220, 269, 290, 303, 306, 307. A newspaper clipping has been glued to the top left of the verso of the first endpaper (dedicated to Saint Yves, patron saint of lawyers "Lawyer and not thief, a unique and wonderful thing"). Stendhal began writing this work on December 29, 1819 in Milan. De l'Amour is inspired by the platonic and unhappy love that Stendhal felt for the wife of a Polish officer, Matilde Dembowski, née Viscontini. He worked for ten months to write this book in which he exposes his famous theory of the "crystallization" of love. The unsold copies of the original edition were taken over by Bohaire, who put them on sale again with a new title and new covers in 1833. This one is the true original edition [Carteret, II 346]. It is not known who carefully annotated this copy with graphite, restoring the censored words, and giving the key to the initials. The knowledge of the exact name of the persons quoted just by an initial by Stendhal lets think that these notes are the work of a close relation of the author. To have known that Madame de M... (t. II, p. 303) is none other than Mme de Montesquiou leans in this direction. This owner noted in pencil on the back of the false title: "That a young woman made you turn your head is the case of more than one honest man", notation well in the spirit of a close friend of Stendhal. Copy with all margins. Minimal defects (seam of the first quire holding the first cover and the spine partly broken; slight crack on the first cover of the second volume; tiny lack of paper on a word p. 243 of volume II; very rare freckles on a few leaves). Rare in its original condition. Provenance: "Exemplaire Sforza" (note on the false title of volume 1). Library of the Duchess Sforza (sale December 3-8, 1933, no. 163); Sotheby's sale, Paris November 19, 2012 (no. 118).
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue