Lot 15
Lot 15
Conversations with a priest

Veringenstadt, Germany, 3 September 1917

Price Realised USD 6,250
Estimate
USD 1,800 - USD 2,500
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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Conversations with a priest

Veringenstadt, Germany, 3 September 1917

Price Realised USD 6,250
Register
Price Realised USD 6,250
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Details
Albert Einstein (1879-1955). Autograph correspondence card signed (‘Albert’) to Michele Besso, [postmarked Veringenstadt], 3 September 1917.

In German, 1½ pages, 140 x 89mm. Address panel bearing Einstein’s autograph return address (‘Abs[ender]. A. Einstein’).

Please note this is the property of a private consignor.
Literature
Published in Pierre Speziali (ed.) Albert Einstein. Michele Besso. Correspondance 1903-1955. Paris: Hermann, 1972. No. 39
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Lot Essay



A repaired watch, a long journey, and interesting discussions with a village priest.

A watch which Besso has sent him, evidently after repairs, arrived safely, and is now working correctly again. His journey back to Germany was wearisome, with a long baggage check which caused him to miss his connection: nevertheless, he arrived on schedule in the village of Benzingen (near Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg), where he is visiting the village priest (Camillus Brandhuber, a friend of Einstein's second wife, Elsa): 'Here milk and honey flow literally, and the priest is a very fine man', whose views accord very closely to Einstein's own, 'even on subjects which one would hardly expect'. Einstein thanks the Bessos in jovial terms for the care they took of his health when he was staying with them in Zurich, and refers to a projected journey with Elsa (whom he was to marry in June 1919, shortly after his divorce from Mileva).
More from
Einstein: Letters to a Friend Part I
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Condition report

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

View Condition Report