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several old letters and papers are stacked on top of each otherseveral papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacefour handwritten letters from a letter to a woman on a white backgrounda bunch of old letters are stacked on top of each otherseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a tableseveral books are stacked on top of each other on a white surfaceseveral old letters and papers are stacked on top of each otherseveral old black and white photographs of people and animals in a fieldmany old photos of people sitting at a dinner table
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105 - Joachim Carvallo (1869–1936) and the restoration of Villandr…
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,500
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Description
Joachim Carvallo (1869–1936) and the restoration of Villandry Castle A collection of correspondence, photographs, documentation and miscellaneous items FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE 81 letters and postcards, 1923–1935, addressed to René Benjamin, including: Letter, 22 February 1924; foundation of the Demeure Historique Letter, 8 September 1927; purchase of the Manoir du Plessis in Savonnières Letter, 30 November 1928 My dear friend, I am not dead. Death is nothing. It is merely a resurrection and a deliverance. My situation is far more serious! I am in hell and I cannot see a way out. The month of November, which begins with All Saints’ Day, has been horrible for me. I had to dismiss all the domestic staff, including poor Alfred, who betrayed me just as Judas betrayed his master. For a fortnight I travelled the length and breadth of Touraine and the neighbouring departments in search of servants ( ) I have reorganised the house and it is running like clockwork, despite the mess and dirt left by the workmen installing the central heating and the new bathrooms. Villandry will emerge from this crisis cleaner and more beautiful than it was before; but as for me, my dear friend, I am utterly exhausted and ready to breathe my last breath, which will be for you. Every morning, I get up at 6 o’clock and never stop going up and down the stairs of the house like a squirrel tasked with spying on the movements of all the domestic staff L.A.S., 15 January 1935 My dear child, what have you done? In an instant, you have, with your own hands, torn down the scaffolding I had built for our celebration, of which you were the most important prop. You were wrong to share your observations with my son, an impressionable and timid child, who, without thinking, passed them on to the Duke of Noailles. Fear took hold of everyone, and following a chaotic meeting at the Cercle Interallié, you decided, in my absence, to cancel the celebration that I had worked so hard to organise. I am familiar with your comments; they reflect the feelings of any artist, even the most experienced, before they engage with an audience. In the opinion of all those who know you and are familiar with the Interallié Circle, you would have been a resounding success and attracted a large audience. I am in the depths of despair and, if I could, I would wring the necks of every one of you. La Demeure Historique was born of painful reflection; but I could not have foreseen that I would be without your support at the very moment when I was hoping to receive a little money to continue the propaganda. May God forgive you as I forgive you, and may He allow me to recover from such a disaster 40 L.A.S./L.S., 1923–1946, François Carvallo (1904–1975), known as Tico, addressed to René Benjamin; numerous letters relating to the attempt to save Villandry in 1943–1944, including: L.S., Paris, 28 December 1943; copy of the letter addressed to the prefect L.A.S., Paris, 4 May 1944; lunch with Marshal Pétain + L.A.S. André Dezarrois proposing the purchase of the château by the State and a copy of the letter, dated 23 December 1943, addressed to the Prefect of Indre-et-Loire, concerning the estate and the conduct of Isabelle Carvallo, wife of La Bouillerie; Handwritten letter, Vichy, 10 December 1943, Dr Ménétrel; Copy of the letter from the Minister for National Education to the Prefect of Indre-et-Loire, 11 March 1944, regarding the proposed expropriation; Letter, 14 April 1944, Hilaire, Secretary-General of the Fine Arts Typewritten copy, Villandry, 20 January 1942, of the letter written by Edouard Carvallo to his brother-in-law Christian de Vienne, concerning their parents’ estate 49 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1935–1973, Marguerite Carvallo (1912–1993), addressed to René Benjamin, his wife and their children, including: Letter, Villandry, 26 January 1936 FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
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About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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