Autograph letter signed from Voltaire to Sophia Friederika Wilhelmina von Preussen, margravine of Bayreuth, written from Potsdam and dated 28 May 1751.
Detailed Summary:
Voltaire expresses concern for the health of the recipient, noting that he loves both Wilhelmine and her brother Frederick II, King of Prussia. Voltaire adds that if Wilhelmine had been in better health, he would have written of the Marquis d’Adhemar who hasn’t yet resolved to leave Paris, of Nicolas Liébault, a wise and educated man of letters. He notes that he wishes he could come to her, but that the diseases that overwhelm him make him sedentary and force him to remain in his cell. He concludes by remarking on the unfairness of Wilhelmine’s illness.
Passed at the Weigel sale in Leipzig on 20 September 1865 (p.44-6, in nos. 1440-65). Passed again at the N. Yemeniz sale in Paris on 12 mai 1868 (p.14, no.80). Sold at Aguttes auction as part of the Aristophil Collections in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France, on Wednesday 16 November 2022, Lot 222, (estimated price: €6000-8000).