Eugène BOUDIN (1824-1898). - Lot 26

Eugène BOUDIN (1824-1898). L.A.S. "E. B", Paris February 11, 1866, to his brother Louis; 4 pages in-8° (a few light stains and small split) On the suicide of painter Léon Bonvin (January 30, 1866). Eugène is quick to reassure Louis "about my state of physical and moral health", and tells how Léon Bonvin "brother of François Bonvin, who is compared to Chardin (which didn't prevent him from taking up a meagre position as tax collector at the Poissy market), took the fatal decision to destroy himself to escape the troubles of a few hundred francs in crippling debts. He was established as a cabaret owner in Meudon. Tormented by the need to fathom nature, he neglected the pint and the cellar to run out into the sunshine and watch the little flowers blossom, which he had set about painting with a naive love and passion that were ill-rewarded! But who's to blame for these all-too-frequent misfortunes? While this unfortunate man was knocking on every door with his cardboard box under his arm and finding nothing but misfortune, the mother Troyon more than half a million which she has no use for"... [Troyon's studio had indeed just been sold at Drouot for a considerable sum]. Boudin doesn't think it's for the memory of the dead man, but that the buyer is convinced of making a good deal: "It's this example of unforeseen gains that has made the Salle Drouot a kind of stock exchange", which sets the tone for a few names, to the exclusion of others: "Indeed, one must be certain that a gentleman whose debut promises to arrive at the apogee of names will pile them up at home. This faith is slow in coming, which is why we little ones who vegetate in the shadow of the great ones serve as a stopgap for provincial amateurs or a few poor onlookers who venture as far as the hundred-dollar bill... As for our moral constitution, I'm convinced it's quite good, as the past proves, and if we weren't sustained by a very lively tenderness for these eternal nothings, the sky, the water, the woods, the spectacle of the world in front of which so many unfortunate people have passed and will pass eternally without seeing anything, we'd probably have jumped [...]....] It's hard to believe that poor Bonvin didn't see, on the fateful day he killed himself [...] the vaporous clutter of branches already budding"... A lottery is set up to benefit Bonvin's widow and children... "We are all busy with our Salon. We're taking advantage of the downtime caused by the Troyon sale, which has cleaned out the pockets of enthusiasts and brought commerce in the stores to a screeching halt. Especially for us, who make our living from dealers, this takes the wind out of our sails"... Etc.