Lot 315
  • 315

WILDE, OSCAR; AND CONSTANCE LLOYD WILDE. AUTOGRAPH EPIGRAMS. 2 PP. 1893.

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

Autograph epigrams signed by Wilde ("Oscar Wilde") and his wife ("Constance Wilde"), 2 pages, one on bifolium and the other on a single sheet (both 6 1/4 x 4 in.; 159 x 102 mm), London (on Tite St. letterhead), 15 November 1893; horizontal fold, minimal wear.

Condition

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
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.

Catalogue Note

Epigrams from the Wildes, written less than two years before the author's calamitous trial and conviction. Wilde's quotation, signed and dated November 1893, is one of his most famous epigrams:"A cynic is one who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing." Wilde's readers were first introduced to this sentiment in slightly different form in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). There, Lord Henry Wotton gives his definition of the modern cynic. "People know the price of everything, and the value of nothing."  The present form of the epigram appears in the play Lady's Windemere's Fan (first performed 1892, published 1893).

Constance Wilde's quotation, dated 15 November 1893 is "'Qui patitur vincit'" ("He who endures wins"). At the time, Constance and her husband were still living together in Tite Street, Chelsea, though Oscar's life was centered elsewhere, in the company of Lord Alfred Douglas.

Presumably, both quotations were written out for the same recipient.