Honoré de Balzac, Autograph letter signed. February 16 [1848], 2p in-8, autograph address, wax seal "AVE". To Louis Wolf, King's antiquarian in Dresden: "I beg you, Sir, to include in the shipment you are going to send me of 1° the vase, 2° the trictrac, and 3° the statue, 2 of the 3 arms with two porcelain candles that I wanted to take only after having checked the measurements you gave me, but do not send me anything broken, nor mended, give me of the 3, the 2 best, you owe me that much; see to the packing [...] So, if you send me 1° the vase, 2° the trictrac, 3° the wooden statuette, and you add the 2 porcelain arms and the dish, I'll owe you 12 louis more; later, in 3 months, I'll tell you if I can take the 2 vermeil objects and at what price. [...] These 12 louis and the 6 louis for the alarm clock will be paid when I pass through Dresden in July, and if I do not pass through Dresden or do not travel, I will send you a bill for 18 louis or 360 f. payable in Paris. I didn't examine your invoice when you brought it to me, the vase is only 10 louis and the lady's set 6 louis, and you put 18 louis, it's an error of two louis, but we'll hear about it." Balzac and Madame Hanska's first purchases from this Dresden antique dealer seem to date back to May 1847 (see LHB, II, p. 554 and 556); numerous acquisitions followed, right up to 1848. This beautiful, long letter bears witness to the numerous purchases of antiques and objets d'art made by Balzac and Madame Hanska to furnish and decorate their house on rue Fortunée in Paris. Paper edges frayed, bifeuillet detached at the fold, paper missing from the sheet with the address. (Correspondance, III, n°48-6).