P. DELVAUX, AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED ("PAUL DELVAUX") TO JULES PAYRÓ, 22 FEBRUARY 1957

in French, detailing his travels to Italy and Greece by car with his brother and sister-in-law, from Brussels via the Ardennes, Munich and Austria, then Merano and into the Veneto, describing the works of art he saw, including the frescoes by Giotto in Padua ("très beaux mais très effacés, la couleur a perdu son éclat"), the statue of condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni by Verrocchio and Carpaccio's depiction of St George in Venice, conveying enthusiastically his very detailed observations of the Acropolis ("La Parthénon et l'Acropole [...] la plus forte impression du voyage [...] on traverse les Propylées et une fois dehors le Parthénon apparait majestueusement sur la droite, et à gauche, le [...] Erechteion, tout petit et si pur dans sons architecture ionique elegante"). 7 pages in all, 8vo (210 x 135mm.), including a full-page sketch of the Acropolis, Boitsfort, 22 February 1957

Zachary Barthelman and Julie Van Deun, Paul Delvaux, odyssée d'un rêve (Saint-Idesbald, 2007), p.226

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, 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 letter, which is in fact a travelogue, and the very detailed sketch of the Acropolis show Delvaux's great interest in antiquity - in particular architecture and sculptures - which becomes evident in so many of his paintings. Payró, the recipient of the letter, a fellow student of Delvaux and lifelong friend, who would become Professor at the University of Buenos Aires, published an important article about Delvaux in the newspaper La Nación of 13 September 1925, praising him: "His works are not only studies [...] Everything indicates that they contain the beginnings of a work that will develop in a climate and a tone of exceptional originality."