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ALS in French, signed “Sade,” one page, written on both sides, 6 x 8, no date (circa 1806-1807). Untranslated handwritten letter from the Marquis de Sade, likely composed during his confinement at the asylum-prison of Charenton, recounting the history of a financial and legal dispute arising from the pledge of books as security for a debt. Writing in the form of an “Historique de l’affaire [Philipou],” Sade explains that, during a period of imprisonment, he was obliged to place books in pledge for 1700 livres, describing their removal to storage and the mounting costs associated with their deposit. He complains of accumulating interest and storage fees that rendered the expense “très considérable,” accuses the opposing party of usurious and dishonest conduct, and details failed attempts at an amicable settlement before the matter escalated into formal legal proceedings. The letter concludes with a discussion of proposed repayment through several lettres de change, or bills of exchange, including payments due in 1807. In fine condition, with a tape-repaired tear to the left side, and a small puncture hole. A highly personal financial memorandum from the notoriously embattled Marquis de Sade, illuminating the practical burdens of debt, legal disputes, and daily life during his final years of confinement at Charenton.
The Marquis de Sade was sent to the Charenton asylum twice over the course of his turbulent life. His first stay came in July 1789, when he was transferred there from the Bastille amid the chaos of the French Revolution, though he was released in April the following year. More than a decade later, in 1801, Sade was confined at Charenton again, this time by order of the Napoleonic Consulate, which viewed his writings as dangerous to public morality. Unlike his earlier confinement, this second stay proved final. Sade spent the last thirteen years of his life at Charenton, where he continued to write, socialize, and even stage theatrical performances, remaining there until his death in 1814.
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