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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Lot Essay
Delight at the prospect of a holiday in Switzerland.
Einstein alerts Besso to his arrival in Zurich between 5 and 7 July: 'I am unutterably delighted, even if the journey itself should be a great ordeal now'. His stay in Zurich will be short, 'because it is too wearing for my creaky carcass'; he will then go to Arosa with his elder son, Hans Albert (joining his younger son, Eduard, who was receiving treatment there), then to see his sister in Lucerne for a few weeks. He is very much looking forward to his conversations with Besso: 'Don't be angry that I write to you so little; it seems that's the only way it goes!'.
Einstein had been struggling with an abdominal disorder, and was concerned about his finances, which had been hit by wartime fluctuations in the exchange rates – to the extent that a proposed cure in a spa had been cancelled in favour of the stay with his sister Maja in Lucerne.
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You have agreed to be bound by the Conditions of Sale and if your bid is successful, you are legally obliged to pay for the lot you have won. The purchase price for a successful bid will be the sum of your final bid plus a buyer’s premium, any applicable taxes and any artist resale royalty, exclusive of shipping-related expenses.
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.
The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
A few small areas of ink transfer from postal markings on recto.
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Lot 19Sale 15830
Berlin, 24 June 1917Delight at returning to SwitzerlandEstimate: USD 2,000 - 3,000
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