VOGÜÉ (Eugène-Melchior de). - Lot 313

VOGÜÉ (Eugène-Melchior de). Born in Nice, 1848—died in 1910. Diplomat, writer, and literary critic; member of the Académie française; a leading figure in the dissemination of Russian literature in France. Autograph note signed “E.-M. de Vogüé,” addressed to “Monsieur.” Versailles, July 12 [undated]. 1 page, oblong in-12 format. Mourning paper. A short note imbued with social courtesy, in which Vogüé declines an invitation due to a recent bereavement: “My very recent bereavement will deprive me of the pleasure of attending your banquet on July 18…”. He nevertheless expresses his desire to renew his congratulations to “our eminent compatriot, Maître Albert Danet,” a testament to the networks of esteem and the intellectual and legal social circles of the late 19th century. This document, written in a sober and elegant tone, illustrates the customary practices of occasional correspondence and the codes of the literary and diplomatic world of the Third Republic.