Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 1
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 2
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 3
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 4
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 5
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 6
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 7
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 8
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 9
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 10
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 11
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 12
Mary Renault (1905-1983) - photo 13

Mary Renault (1905-1983)

Lot 159
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 2 268
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1108958
Lot 159 | Mary Renault (1905-1983)
Estimate value
£ 2 000 – 3 000
Mary Renault (1905-1983)
Letters to Julian Orde (1917-1974), Durban, Cape [Town] and Athens, 1954-1964
Collection of 50 letters, the majority typewritten and signed (‘Mary’) with 1 autograph letter, totalling over 300 pages, various sizes (253 x 164mm to 282 x 215mm), many with envelopes including enclosed photographs and newspaper cuttings. Provenance: Sotheby's, 23 July 1987, lot 175.

Renault's ideas about literature and art sent to her admirer, the poet, writer, and actress Julian Orde. Topics include Ancient Greece, and Renault’s pleasure that Orde has been inspired to learn Greek from reading her work, 'I do admire you most sincerely for getting straight down to the solid discipline of learning Greek … I have the cake-before-bread and butter temperament … In other words, I don’t know Greek’. Concerning the application of Freud and Jung to Renault’s work ‘analysis to me is what Gray’s Anatomy used to be to a visual artist’).Other topics include their thoughts on literature that they have both read, including Auden, on which they fiercely disagree, and The Catcher in the Rye and Gone with the Wind, which they both appreciate. Sculpture, both antique and modern, especially Alcibiades, is also discussed, with Renault later stating her preference for Rodin over Moore. South African politics, the topic which brought an end to their correspondence, is also covered, ‘it seems to knock you for six when I express any opinion which doesn’t coincide exactly with that of Munnings or Col. Blimp’.
Place of origin:Africa
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.