Byron, George Gordon Noel, Lord

1 page (9 1/2 x 7 1/4 in.; 241 x 184 mm), Venice, 31 August 1818; formerly folded, small hole in text leaf affecting one letter, a few spots and stains, hole in blank portion of address leaf. Accompanied by an engraved portrait after a drawing by Thomas Phillips.

Swann Galleries, 3 June 1997, lot 30 (unnamed consignor)

Thomas Moore, ed., Letters and Journals of Lord Byron (1830), p. 367

formerly folded, small hole in text leaf affecting one letter, a few spots and stains, hole in blank portion of address leaf.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Byron recommends a doctor for an English visitor.

Included by Moore in his biography to puncture the notion that Byron was ill-disposed to visitors, this letter was written to the naval officer and travel author Basil Hall (1788-1844) who suffered from a fever while in Venice, and whose only letter of introduction was to Byron:

"Dr. Aglietti is the best physician, not only in Venice, but in Italy: his residence is on the Grand Canal, and easily found; I forget the number, but am probably the only person in Venice who don't know it. ... I regret very much your indisposition, and shall do myself the honour of waiting upon you the moment I am up. I write this in bed, and have only just received the letter and note. I beg you to believe that nothing but the extreme lateness of my hours could have prevented me from replying immediately, or coming in person."