ID 381253
Lot 45 | Lucian Freud (1922-2011)
Estimate value
£ 3 000 – 5 000
41/2 pages, 223 x 174mm, 211 x 136mm and 139 x 89mm, the first on blue paper with printed address at Goldeneye and including a small pasted newspaper extract, the picture postcard depicting La Corniche d'Or, with two additions in pen, comprising a cyclist on the road and climbers at top of the cliff.
'Hordes of english [sic] confidence tricksters disguised as retired colonels (which they are) surround the roulette tables and misuse their voices ...': surrealist humour, and a postcard with original drawings. Writing from Ian Fleming's beloved Goldeneye in Jamaica, Freud reports that 'I am still sitting in the banana wood in almost the same place and am now such a fixture there that birds sit on me and spiders use my head to help hold up their new webs', also recording a 'moment of slight tension' with Violet [Cummings, the Flemings' housekeeper], including a newspaper extract about 'sleazy Notting Hill', and reporting on a waterspout, the 'daily more delishous [sic]' food, and the usefulness of 'Noels deathmask' [i.e. Noel Coward's] which is 'better than an alarm clock'; and offering to have the Flemings' son Caspar canonised as a gesture of thanks. In the letter from Paris, Freud plans his wedding to his second wife, Lady Caroline Blackwood – 'I think a Paris wedding would perhaps be best as one needs no documents except my divorce papers but where-ever it takes place do please be my best man!' [the wedding ultimately took place in London on 9 December 1953] – and writes teasingly of Ian Fleming 'I am becoming rather like Ian insomuch so [sic] that a number of subjects can not safely be mentioned in my presence'. The postcard from the French Riviera begins with a fantastical description of his own alterations to the picture of the cliffs above the Corniche d'Or, before continuing with an equally whimsical account of life in the casinos: 'this postcard is of the most unusual interest as the camera has caught not only one of the rare successful climbs of this perilous cliff but also what promises to be a most bloody accident ... The chances of winning at the casinos have become even slimmer since hordes of english [sic] confidence tricksters disguised as retired colonels (which they are) surround the roulette tables and misuse their voices, born to command, to claim the rightful winnings of less experienced gamblers. Those "men who never cheated" have at last begun to do so'.
Freud became part of the social circle of Ann Fleming (1913-1981, at the time Viscountess Rothermere) during the post-war years, and painted her portrait in 1950; it was through her that he met Lady Caroline Blackwood, his future second wife (contrary to his plans in the present letter, they in fact married in London on 9 December 1953). Ann married Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, in 1952: their son Caspar was born in August that year.
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
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.