Matisse, Henri

to his eldest daughter Marguerite, his wife Amélie, and to Émile Kas, two in green ink, containing small drawings, including sketches of a still life by Chardin and boxes, including letters to Marguerite (describing an oil-painting and attending the judgment of Desjardins and Yvonne Landsberg, remarking on the "amusant Divorce Derain"), to his wife Amélie (describing work on a large "reclining nude" which he intends to keep as he has worked hard on it, giving a long critique on paintings by his son Jean and by Marguerite, telling them to study paintings by Chardin ("la pipe les peches avec le verre de vin la brioche--les raisons"), of which he supplies a small sketch, Rubens and Cézanne), and five letters to his chauffeur and housekeeper, Émile Kas (giving him various commissions regarding the house and his tailor and asking him to pay five hundred francs to Lydia Delectorskaya),

"...J'ai la caisse et je suis en train de rouler autour d'une baton les plus grandes toiles...Vous allez pouvoir les regarder à votre aise après les avoir mises sur chassis. Mais ne les montrer pas toutes car Bernheim pourraient l'apprendre et les réclamer.  Les plus petites sont des toiles de 3. Il y a un nu couché toile de 4 qui revient aux marchands mais j'ai l'intention de le garder car j'ai beaucoup travaillé en meme temps qu'un grand dessin du même sujet que j'ai ici..."



9 letters in all, 18 pages, 8vo and 4to, some on printed stationery, 2 on postcards, together with photographs of Matisse at work and newspaper cuttings, Nice (Hotel de la Mediterranée), Marseilles (Hotel Terminus), Paris (Hotel Lutetia), 6 January 1922 to 30 November 1934, where dated

H. Spurling, Matisse the Master, ii, 348-349 and plate 22.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is an attractive collection of letters by Matisse to his family, discussing his own works and offering guidance on those of his children, enlivened with small drawings.  Matisse always encouraged his children to paint, and here urges his son Jean to study one of his own favourite eighteenth-century French painters, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, referring particularly to a still life with peaches (possibly Still Life of Peaches, Nuts, Grapes and a Glass of Wine of 1758).  Although it is not clear which nude Matisse is referring to in 1922, it could be the Nude with Goldfish which he worked on that year.