19th Sep, 2023 10:00

Asian Art & Books

 
Lot 485
 

485

The Hester Piozzi - Sophy Thrale Correspondence, a remarkable and apparently unknown series of letters from Hester Lynch Piozzi (1741-1821, writer) to Sophia Thrale/Hoare (1771-1824, her seventh child and sixth daughter), described by Samuel Johnson as 'dear, sweet, pretty, lovely, delicious Miss Sophy', unbound in a tan calf album bearing the bookplate of Henry Merrik Hoare (1770-1826), gilt tooled with MSS Letters to spine, husband of Sophia/Other letters of Hester Piozzi have been published, notably those to her eldest daughter Hester Maria in The Queeney Letters, ed. The Marquess of Lansdowne, London 1934, which comprises fifty letters. The present group, to the younger sister, only a little shorter, are of later date and form a significant complement to the known and published correspondence of one of the most significant literary figures of her age, who was, moreover, the most important friend and correspondent of Samuel Johnson/A correspondence of considerable literary and historical significance, dating from the latter part of Hester Piozzi's life, following the death of her husband, the brewer, Henry Thrale (1728-1781) and her marriage three years later to the musician Gabriel Mario Piozzi (1740-1809), a connection which led to her estrangement from Dr Johnson and many of her family. Comprising thirty letters to her youngest daughter in the period 1805 to 1821. The letters are generally of considerable length, often continuing onto the address-leaf, and invariably signed with initials, displaying great affection, a vast amount of biographically significant information and society gossip, and including a considerable amount of original verse./The correspondence appears to have been neglected among the papers of the Hoare family and to have remained unknown and unpublished./Together with various other letters, mostly to Sophia, from Sarah Siddons (1 page undated, complaining that she must 'embrace the dreadful fatigue of playing every night'); S[arah] M[artha] Siddons, 5 September 1788, mentioning Cecilia's safe delivery and Maria's bad health; Maria Siddons, announcing a visit from her mother; Arthur Murphy; two letters from John Warner to Hugh Hoare (banker); copy of Samuel Johnson's letter to Hester Thrale on the death of her husband [Henry]; Eleanor Butler (one of the 'Ladies of Llangollen') to Sophia, 1808, and a few others.

Sold for £80,000


 

The Hester Piozzi - Sophy Thrale Correspondence, a remarkable and apparently unknown series of letters from Hester Lynch Piozzi (1741-1821, writer) to Sophia Thrale/Hoare (1771-1824, her seventh child and sixth daughter), described by Samuel Johnson as 'dear, sweet, pretty, lovely, delicious Miss Sophy', unbound in a tan calf album bearing the bookplate of Henry Merrik Hoare (1770-1826), gilt tooled with MSS Letters to spine, husband of Sophia/Other letters of Hester Piozzi have been published, notably those to her eldest daughter Hester Maria in The Queeney Letters, ed. The Marquess of Lansdowne, London 1934, which comprises fifty letters. The present group, to the younger sister, only a little shorter, are of later date and form a significant complement to the known and published correspondence of one of the most significant literary figures of her age, who was, moreover, the most important friend and correspondent of Samuel Johnson/A correspondence of considerable literary and historical significance, dating from the latter part of Hester Piozzi's life, following the death of her husband, the brewer, Henry Thrale (1728-1781) and her marriage three years later to the musician Gabriel Mario Piozzi (1740-1809), a connection which led to her estrangement from Dr Johnson and many of her family. Comprising thirty letters to her youngest daughter in the period 1805 to 1821. The letters are generally of considerable length, often continuing onto the address-leaf, and invariably signed with initials, displaying great affection, a vast amount of biographically significant information and society gossip, and including a considerable amount of original verse./The correspondence appears to have been neglected among the papers of the Hoare family and to have remained unknown and unpublished./Together with various other letters, mostly to Sophia, from Sarah Siddons (1 page undated, complaining that she must 'embrace the dreadful fatigue of playing every night'); S[arah] M[artha] Siddons, 5 September 1788, mentioning Cecilia's safe delivery and Maria's bad health; Maria Siddons, announcing a visit from her mother; Arthur Murphy; two letters from John Warner to Hugh Hoare (banker); copy of Samuel Johnson's letter to Hester Thrale on the death of her husband [Henry]; Eleanor Butler (one of the 'Ladies of Llangollen') to Sophia, 1808, and a few others.

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