Émile Zola (1840-1902)
Document signed ('Emile Zola'), official record ('procès verbal') of the duel between Édouard Manet and Edmond Duranty, Paris, 23 February 1870
In French. One page, 211 x 133mm, bifolium, signed by Zola as one of Manet's seconds at the duel, also signed by the other seconds, Henri Vigneau, Paul Lafargue and Eugène Schnerb. Provenance: Sotheby's, 18 May 1989, lot 360.

Zola's witness statement on the duel between Manet and Duranty. Following the standard form of words, Zola and the other seconds declare that the duel with swords took place that morning in the forest of St Germain at around 11am; there was a single engagement of such violence that both blades buckled; that Duranty was lightly wounded on the right breast, 'his opponent's sword having slipped on a rib' and that 'In the face of this wound, the seconds declared that honour was satisfied, and that there was no need to continue the fight'.

Une rencontre à l'epée a eu lieu aujourd'hui 23 fevrier 1870, dans la forêt de St Germain, vers onze heures du matin, entre M.M. Manet et Duranty. / Un seul et unique engagement a eu lieu, d'une violence telle que les deux épées ont ete faussées. / M. Duranty a été blessé au dessus du sein droit, d'une façon légère, l’épée de son adversaire ayant glissé sur une côte. / Devant cette blessure, les témoins ont déclaré que l'honneur était satisfait et qu’il n’y avait pas lieu à continuer le combat.

This records a legendary incident: the critic Edmond Duranty was an early supporter of the Batignolles Group, but in 1869 wrote a series of critical articles about the Salon, which sufficiently incensed Manet that on 20 February he slapped Duranty's face. Duranty accordingly challenged him to a duel, as recorded in the present 'procès verbal', at which fortunately neither was badly wounded. The two were subsequently reconciled.