Pierre-Auguste Renoir Autograph Letter Signed. Two pages on two leaves, 4.25" x 6" (sight), no date [postmarked November 12, 1891]; "13 Girardon Street." Letter in French addressed to Paul Berard, a patron and close friend of Renoir who had invited him to stay at his country estate in 1879. Among the Berard family portraits were some of Renoir's most celebrated studies of children, including all four children in "Les Enfants" (1881). In July 1890, Renoir had moved into number 13 rue Girardon at the Chateau des Brouillards in Montmartre. In this letter, Renoir writes to Berard that he has received his letter and that he should write to him at "13, rue Girardon, 18th district." He writes, in part [English translation]: "... it is easier for me being in my studio only during the day... I will leave for Paris on Tuesday, to see Legrand in Laroche Guyon, and from there go on to Dieppe. My portrait is going very well, and I would have come sooner without 2 seances Sunday and Monday that I don't want to miss. So a thousand friendships to you and yours..." Signed, "Renoir." In a postscript, Renoir writes about the man his street was named after: "Girardon... sculptor born in Troyes. 18th century. Creator, I believe, of the Porte St. Denis..." Sculptor François Girardon, born at Troyes in 1630, died in Paris in 1715. The 76-foot-high Porte Saint-Denis was built by François Blondel in 1672 and decorated with sculptures by Girardon, who was a favorite of King Louis XIV. His sculptures commemorated the king's military victories. The arch of the Porte Saint-Denis symbolically marked an entrance into 17th-century Paris at the site of an old tollgate. It served as the inspiration for the more famous Arc de Triomphe. The letter has been attractively matted and framed with its original transmittal envelope [5" x 3.25" (sight)] and an English translation to the overall size of 17.25" x 22.25". Not examined outside of the frame. Condition: Light soiling and wear to envelope. Smoothed folds. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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