Letter signed from Voltaire to Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, written in the hand of Corboz from Ferney and dated 24 May 1761 [D9791]

Identifiers

CMV:

CMV37313

Repository:

Shelfmark:

MS 66 (fol.77-78), ‘Stroganov’

Title:

Letter signed from Voltaire to Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, written in the hand of Corboz from Ferney and dated 24 May 1761 [D9791]

Link to Archive Catalogue:

Link to Digital Resource:

OCLC Number:

Reproductions:

Content

People:

Incipit Diplomatic:

Monsieur, J’ay receu par Madame la Comtesse de Bintink, digne d’être connuë de vous et d’être vôtre amie, la Lettre dont vous m’avez honoré en date du 11e 22e Avril.

Incipit Modernised:

Monsieur, J’ai reçu par Madame la Comtesse de Bentinck, digne d’être connuë de vous et d’être vôtre amie, la lettre dont vous m’avez honoré en date du 11e/22e avril.

Language(s):

In Voltaire’s Hand:

Partly

Brief Summary:

Letter signed from Voltaire to Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, written in the hand of Corboz from Ferney and dated 24 May 1761.

Detailed Summary:

Voltaire signs the letter as: ‘le vieux mouton broutant au pied des alpes’.

Genre(s):

Physical Description

Material(s):

Extent:

2 ff.

Format:

Dimensions:

184 x 231 mm

Hands:

2

Watermark:

The paper is watermarked with a shield bearing a post horn. Beneath the shield is the name ‘Van der Ley’.

Countermark:

Binding:

Bound with other letters in green morocco.

Additional Comments:

The MS has been folded into four (since unfolded). The iron gall ink used to write the letter is beginning to cause some corrosion to the paper. Ink from the facing page in the bound volume has transferred onto f.79r. There is water damage to l.7-8 of f.80v and a small red stain in the lower right-hand corner of the same likely caused by a wafer seal.

Decorations:

Undecorated

Additions:

The MS has been endorsed as ‘#.35’ in the upper left-hand corner of f.79r. In the same place, Voltaire has added a note reading ‘duplicata’. The title of the work mentioned on l.2-3 of f.80v has been underlined.

Marginalia Keywords:

Inclusions:

History

Date:

25 May 1761

Ownership:

Owned successively by the comte de Châteaugiron and Theodore Besterman (1904-1976).

Origin (transcript):

au chatau de ferney

Provenance:

Passed at the Vidal-Mégret sale in Paris on 29 May 1968 (Lot. 130) where it sold for 48,500 francs (plus tax).

Bibliography

Bibliography:

OCV Reference:

OCV Manuscript Reference:

Record created by:

Zoe Screti

Record created on:

3 March 2025