- 140
[Wilde, Oscar]
Estimate
800 - 1,200 GBP
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Description
- [Wilde, Oscar]
- Visiting card used by Wilde ("Mr Sebastian Melmoth") after his release from prison in 1897
- Paper
47 by 84mm, 1 leaf, some very minor spotting
Provenance
Sold in these rooms, 10/11 July 1986, lot 124
Condition
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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Writing from Berneval-sur-Mer to Henrietta Stannard on 28 May 1897, Wilde stated "To escape the foolish tongue and the prying eye I have for the moment taken the name of Sebastian Melmoth, a curious name... (see The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde (London, 2000), p. 857). Holland and Hart-Davis note in The Complete Letters.... that the name of Sebastian Melmoth came from "the 'Wandering Jew' hero of Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) by the Irish writer Charles Robert Maturin (1782-1824), who was Wilde's great-uncle. Robert Ross and More Adey had collaborated in an anonymous biographical introduction to a new edition of the novel in 1892, and Ross suggested this alias to Wilde. The Christian name Sebastian was probably in memory of the martyred saint" (see p. 832).