LS in French, signed “Voltaire, Gentleman ordinary to the King,” one page, 6.25 x 7.5, July 28, 1774. Letter to famous architect Jean Rodolph Perronet, written in the hand of his famous secretary, Wagniere. In full (translated): “You give me, Sir, a great desire to take the coach to come and see the Neuilly bridge. I would leave immediately if my eighty years and continual illness did not prevent me. It is sad to die without having seen the monuments which make one’s homeland illustrious. I thank you very sincerely for having had the goodness to have had the drawing of this fine work shown to me. I do not doubt but that the King will use your rare talents for new masterpieces which will immortalize his century and his reign. I pray you to include me among the large number of your admirers. The prints appear to me to be worthy of the bridge. You have filled me with sincere esteem and gratitude.” In fine condition, with light intersecting folds, small repair to paper loss to top right corner, and a couple spots of trivial soiling.
Perronet, famous for pioneering stone arch bridges, completed the Pont de Neuilly in 1774. The aesthetically pleasing five-arched structure crossed the River Seine, and its elegance in execution led some to call it the most graceful stone bridge ever built. Voltaire greatly admired this clean, simple style of architecture, while deriding Gothic architecture as 'a fantastic compound of rudeness and filigree.' His appreciation for Perronet as an artist is evident from this complimentary letter as well as an anecdote from near the end of his life—shortly after he had completed the play Irene, Voltaire found that one of his friends had altered several verses. During a visit with Perronet—and in a perfect example of Voltarian wit—he told the bridge builder, 'Ah, M. Perronet, it is well for you don't know him; he would add another arch to your bridge.' A rare letter with terrific artistic content from the influential satirist. RR Auction COA.
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