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three handwritten letters from a woman ' s mother, including a letter from her motheran old letter written in french on a piece of paper
Asta Enchères - Maison de ventes aux enchères Corse-Paris

16 - [Francis PONGE – Jean SIGNOVERT]
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Estimate €100 - €150
Sale commission
Description
[Francis PONGE – Jean SIGNOVERT] A collection of corrected autograph manuscripts, including three signed autograph letters addressed to Jean Signovert. Dated 1970 and 1971. A collection of autograph documents written in felt-tip pen on paper, comprising three signed letters by Francis Ponge addressed to the painter and engraver Jean Signovert (1919–1981), as well as several literary texts, including *Nuits chaudes*, *La Foule politique* and *L’Hiver*. The manuscript containing the texts features handwritten amendments: crossings-out, substitutions of words, interlinear additions and notes regarding the organisation of the texts. In *La Foule politique*, Ponge draws parallels between popular demonstrations and nature’s grand spectacles, comparing their spontaneity in particular to that of a ploughed field, a forest or the sea. The manuscript of *L’Hiver* bears even more direct witness to the writer’s process of literary development. The successive corrections and additions allow us to trace the progression of his thought and his search for precise wording. At the bottom of the page, Ponge adds this particularly significant note: ‘The order of these texts may be reversed, if necessary. F. P.’ This clarification reveals that the texts were envisaged as a collection whose arrangement remained subject to change. The letter addressed to Jean Signovert places these documents within the context of the poet’s relationship with the engraver. Close to many artists of his time, notably Georges Braque, Roger Chastel and Serge Poliakoff, Signovert played an active role in the physical production of their engravings and in various projects combining literature and the graphic arts. This collection thus bears witness to Francis Ponge’s writing and his exchanges with Jean Signovert. The presence of corrected manuscripts, accompanied by instructions on their layout, suggests the preparation of a presentation or publication project, the exact purpose of which remains to be determined. Provenance: Jean SIGNOVERT’s studio collection.
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About the sale The Jean SIGNOVERT (1919–1981) Studio Collection: his prints, paintings, sculptures and friends
Auction location
Auction time 10/22/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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