301 - RENOIR (Auguste), 1841–1919.

RENOIR (Auguste), 1841–1919. Autograph letter signed “Renoir,” Villa Raynaud near Magagnosc, Grasse, February 22, 1900, 1 p. and ½ in-8, on graph paper, to a friend. A very beautiful, intimate letter, tinged with melancholy, written during his winter stay in Grasse, where Renoir was attempting to recover his already severely compromised health. After expressing concern for his correspondent and the flu epidemic (“I don’t receive a single letter without hearing about it”), Renoir speaks candidly about his own physical and mental state: “I’ve been meaning to write to you for some time, but I’ve been feeling a bit down. Gray like today’s weather [...] There are days when I’m convinced I’m in the lake.” He therefore postpones writing a longer letter but asks for news of his friend and her family, mentions “‘Mrs. Gallimard,’" who seems to have taken well to Naples (most likely Lucie Gallimard, wife of his collector friend Paul Gallimard), and concludes with these simple, touching, and friendly words: “I’m only writing to you because I feel guilty for neglecting our friendship. I’m empty, empty. See you soon—I hope to be more entertaining. Drop me a line with news of you and the kids. Best regards from my wife and me. A thousand handshakes.” Accompanied by its original cultural property export certificate from the Ministry of Culture.