Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - photo 1

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Starting price
£ 100
Auction dateClassic
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1109132
Lot 330 | Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 11 September 1935
In German. 1¼ pages, 267 x 185mm. Provenance: Sotheby's, 26-27 November 1980, lot 156.

An outburst against publishing science in Nazi Germany – and losing hope of a unified field theory. Einstein is very interested by Lanczos's most recent paper, 'but I cannot fathom that you as a Jew are still publishing in Germany. This is a form of betrayal. German intellectuals have as a whole behaved disgracefully in the face of all the horrible injustices and have richly deserved to be boycotted. If the non-Jews of other countries don't do it, it's already sad enough'. After this outburst, Einstein moves serenely on to scientific matters: 'Your treatment of the variation principle analogous to the canonical equations is very interesting and elegant'; however he warns that there are equations of the fourth order which are masked by the introduction of hik. 'I cannot yet fully assess the representation of the electromagnetic field', but he considers it 'difficult to consider as natural the representation of the electrical field through symmetrical derivation of a vector'. The letter concludes on a glum note: 'I have arrived after many disappointments at the opinion that we shall have to reconcile ourselves to the lack of an inner connection between the gravitational field and the electromagnetic field'.


Artist:Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Place of origin:Germany, Switzerland, USA
Auction house category:Medicine & science
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 20:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
13.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

A signed photograph
A signed photograph
$100
"Demostracion de la no existencia de campos gravitacionales sin singularidades de masa total no nula"
$5 500
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
$100
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£18 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£8 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£7 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£40 000
On his family's applications for U.S. citizenship
On his family's applications for U.S. citizenship
$100

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.