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an old handwritten letter from a man who is writing on a piece of papera close up of a piece of paper with writing on it
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213 - Jacques-Louis DAVID. Autograph letter, Brussels, 28 June 182…
See original version (French)

Estimate €2,000 - €2,500
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Description
Jacques-Louis DAVID. Autograph letter, Brussels, 28 June 1820, to the painter Jean Naigeon, curator of the Galerie des Tableaux du Luxembourg in Paris; 3 pages, in-8, address. A fine letter concerning the engravings of his works. He expresses his deep gratitude to Naigeon for having dealt, amongst other things, with ‘the matter of the large engraving’ with Jean Massard [The Death of Socrates], and for ‘negotiating with the lawyers’: ‘It will thus be said of my life: David had a friend, his pupil Naigeon, who constantly looked after his master’s reputation, but also his financial interests; indeed, my friend, who else but you has taken greater care to capitalise on them, to ensure my works were displayed, to bring them to the attention of my fellow citizens, to ensure they were paid for, and to work tirelessly to rescue them from oblivion; you have known my character better than anyone, so may I one day give you a striking demonstration of my gratitude, and may I extend it to your son and all that is dear to you. You and Mr Gros are, amongst my pupils, my true friends; posterity will vindicate me in your eyes should my time come before I have been able to do so myself’. He then refers to a drawing by Constant Bourgeois, on which he shares the opinion of Naigeon and Massard: ‘I was in complete agreement with you both regarding the minor touch-up I made to Bourdon’s engraving for the decennial prizes; I shall send it to him at the earliest opportunity, but he is not quite there yet. He is going to work on the line work or the composition, as I pointed out to him that he should be wary of Romulus’s head, which is not quite tilted back enough, meaning he does not look proud enough. […] I want him to produce a fine engraving’. As for Antoine-Alexandre Morel (who engraved David’s ‘Belisarius Begging for Alms’), ‘ how, between you and me, does he still dare to put himself forward? He ought to be fair to himself and fully realise the truth that he has always been lagging behind since the engraving of Belisarius. You don’t become a skilled craftsman by loafing about. It was very much against my will that he engraved my *Horaces*; I wish to say no more about him, save that he is a most gallant man, but I no longer wish to entrust my glory to him’… He had this letter delivered by Sieyès’s brother, who had come to Brussels for his grandson’s christening. He added in a postscript: ‘The owner of *Socrates* [The Death of Socrates], the Marquis de Verac, has refused the sixty thousand francs I offered him on Bonaparte’s behalf. That is a fact; he may well have had his reasons.”
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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