Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 1
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 2
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 3
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 4
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 5
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 6
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 7
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771) - photo 8

Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771)

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 1109155
Lot 353 | Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771)
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771)
Six autograph letters signed and one autograph letter (unsigned), 1744-1760
Seven autograph letters in total, six signed (‘D’ortous de Mairan’) and one unsigned; six to [the mathematician Gabriel Cramer] and one to [Jean-Henri-Nicolas Bouillet], Paris, Clichy and n.p., 26 July 1744 - 8 August 1760 and n.d.

In French, 20 pages, various sizes (187 x 150mm to 226 x 186mm), on bifolia, 5 with integral address leaves and 4 preserving Mairan’s seal. Provenance: Sotheby’s, 16 May 1978.

Reporting on the French Geodesic Mission to the Equator led by La Condamine, Bouguer and Godin, and mentioning Euler and Newton. Mairan describes the mission and the routes taken in his letter of 26 July 1744: ‘These men all took different routes to increase their observations. M. Bouguer followed the Magdalena river which brought him to Cartagena and then Saint Domingue. M de La Condamine navigated the Amazon river which took him to Pará. I believe M. Godin must have reached Portobelo […] I do not doubt they shall give us a thousand other equally curious observations’. In the letter of 2 September 1750, he discusses Euler, writing that he intends to compose a response to a letter he received from the German mathematician: ‘… his system hardly seemed different to my own. Certainly we agree on several things, but we differ substantially on others, and especially on our principles. However, this is all the better as the basis of my defensive critique.’

Mairan was a natural philosopher who made discoveries in the fields of astronomy, biology and palaeography. His protégé was Pierre Bouguer, one of the leaders of the French Geodesic Mission, which brought back observations on longitudinal observations at the equator. Gabriel Cramer (1704-1752) was a Genevan mathematician and physicist.
Place of origin:France, South America
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

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.