Autograph letter from Voltaire to La Beaumelle, undated 

Identifiers

CMV:

CMV33759

Repository:

Shelfmark:

MS 54 (L), ‘Dossier of papers in the possession of Laurent Anglivel de La Beaumelle at the time of his imprisonment in the Bastille in April 1753’

Title:

Autograph letter from Voltaire to La Beaumelle, undated 

Link to Archive Catalogue:

Link to Digital Resource:

OCLC Number:

Reproductions:

Content

People:

Incipit Diplomatic:

Incipit Modernised:

Language(s):

In Voltaire’s Hand:

Yes

Brief Summary:

Autograph letter from Voltaire to La Beaumelle, undated.

Detailed Summary:

Voltaire requests a copy of La Beaumelle’s Pensées. [LB 960, Vol.4, p.244]

Keyword(s):

Genre(s):

Status:

Physical Description

Material(s):

Extent:

4 pp.

Format:

Dimensions:

235 x 188 mm

Hands:

1

Watermark:

P.59-62 are watermarked with a shield bearing a post horn, topped with a crown. Beneath this are the initials ‘D&C B’.

Countermark:

Binding:

The MS is not bound with other MS in this collection. Instead it is contained within a grey cardboard folder.

Additional Comments:

The MS consists of 1 sheet of paper, bifolium. There are two tears to the right-hand side of p.59 and areas of damage caused by a wax seal. The letter was sealed in red wax. Though there are remnants of wax on p.4, the seal is missing. The pages feature multiple horizontal and vertical fold lines, one of which has been used to create a margin. There are multiple holes along these fold lines. The pinholes along the central fold line suggests that the pages were once part of a bound collection. There is a stain to the lower right-hand corner of p.59.

Materiality Keywords:

Decorations:

Undecorated

Additions:

There are corrections throughout in the form of corrected text being written over the top of incorrect text.

Marginalia Keywords:

Inclusions:

History

Date:

Ownership:

Owned by Sir Thomas Phillipps.

Origin (transcript):

Origin:

Provenance:

Sold at auction by Sotheby in London on 28-29 June 1976 (Lot 4167) for £2600 plus commissions.

Bibliography

Bibliography:

OCV Reference:

OCV Manuscript Reference:

Record created by:

Zoe Screti

Record created on:

30 May 2024