James Thomson (1700-1748) - photo 1
James Thomson (1700-1748) - photo 2
James Thomson (1700-1748) - photo 3

James Thomson (1700-1748)

Lot 184
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 1 512
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1108984
Lot 184 | James Thomson (1700-1748)
Estimate value
£ 1 000 – 1 500
James Thomson (1700-1748)
Autograph letter signed (‘James Thomson’) to [George Bubb Dodington], n.p., 24 October 1730
Four pages, 183 x 229mm, bifolium. Provenance: Miss M. Eyre-Matcham, 1909; Christie’s, 11 & 12 June 1980, lot 511.

‘What you observe concerning the pursuit of poetry when one is so far engaged in it as I am, is certainly just’. Thomson poetically thanks Dodington for his previous letter ‘the kind advice and encouragement it gives me … have made an impression on my heart which I shall always feel with a particular delight’. Referencing the skill of a poet (‘something as great a true genius, like light, must be beaming forth’) and likening them to birds, which ‘surely sing the sweetest amidst the luxuriant woods, while the full spring blows around them’, he disagrees with a comment made by his doctor in Bath that poets must remain poor. ‘Travelling has long been my fondest wish’, he continues, discussing the benefits for the poet of experiencing new environments, ‘at my times of leisure abroad, I think of attempting another tragedy, and on a story more addressed to common passions than that of Sophonsiba. People now-a-days must have something like themselves’. Promising ‘Should the senses and climates thro’ which I pass inspire me with any poetry, it will naturally have recourse to you’, and that he will meet Dodington in London soon.

George Bubb Dodington (1691-1762) was an English Whig politician and a keen patron of the arts, in particular of Thomson, E. Young, and H. Fielding. Thomson dedicated his 'Summer', part of The Seasons series, to Doddington.
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

James Thomson (1700-1748)
James Thomson (1700-1748)
£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.