ROCHEFORT (Henri, marquis de Rochefort-Luçay, known as Henri - Lot 255

Lot 255
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ROCHEFORT (Henri, marquis de Rochefort-Luçay, known as Henri - Lot 255
ROCHEFORT (Henri, marquis de Rochefort-Luçay, known as Henri Rochefort). Born in Paris, 1831 - died in 1913. French journalist, pamphleteer and politician, a major opposition figure under the Second Empire, founder of La Lanterne. Autograph letter signed "H. de Rochefort", addressed to Jules Janin. S.l.n.d. [circa 1854]. 3 pages in-8. Interesting letter concerning a collective artistic project based on the great figures of contemporary literature. Rochefort reminds his correspondent of his promise "to come and pose for your photographic portrait", while outlining the progress of the project: a young sculptor, François Félix Roubaud, has just been commissioned to execute monumental figures of Philosophy and Poetry in the Louvre, and is simultaneously undertaking a gallery of busts of literary celebrities for the next Salon. To carry out this undertaking, he is seeking the active participation of the writers concerned, many of whom have already given their consent. The busts, he specifies, will be made "demi-nature", first molded in plaster and then cast in bronze, with each model receiving one copy. Aware of the inconvenience caused, Rochefort nevertheless insisted on the importance of a "conscientious and complete" gallery, and urged his interlocutor to grant a few hours' pose, indicating the address of the studio and awaiting a reply. A fine letter that bears witness to the artistic and literary networks of the mid-19th century, at the crossroads of official sculpture and the sociability of Parisian writers, around figures such as Jules Janin and the sculptor Roubaud.
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