Antoine BOURDELLE finishes a "Head of Apollo" and a monograph.

Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929)

Autographed letter signed to the architect Alfred Rome.

Two quarto pages enhanced with orange-yellow and red watercolor.

No place. May 27, 1922.

" I'll get your Apollo head case [...] Just a little gold to put in and we'll ship it to you. "

A very fine letter from the sculptor, teeming with artistic projects, finishing a head of Apollo and preparing his monograph.

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Dear friends in Rome, I'm going to get your Apollo head , and my little friend Marguerite will thus have the strong and determined face of the sun god close at hand. Just a little gold to add, and we'll send it to you.

What will soon appear is not what you thought. It will be a small book composed by me and in my own handwriting, bearing in beautiful wood engravings reproductions of a bust – a statue – a mask and some sketches.

There you can begin a library of my written works, which I intend to publish. I'll let your father subscribe to this little book. 20 or 30 francs. But I'll send a signed copy to my girlfriend. That way I'll achieve two goals: help the publisher and preserve the memory of your little spring. I have good news about Root. He wrote to me from Marseille that he's doing very, very well. He's going to Switzerland. Let's hope he recovers, because otherwise, how sad. Flandrin is exhibiting some very fine pieces; he's highly regarded by those who are influential in the art world. I send my warmest regards to Dr. Flandrin.

I hope your tapestry still blends with the charm of its colorful warps, bordered and adorned by your two daughters, and that your son also graces it with his presence at least from time to time. Is he free from service? Poor Root. In the evenings, at your home with the devoted Farcy friends, with the mournful expression of the ardent artist that is A. Farcy. Greetings from Lhote. Rome, architect tranquil like the eternal city […] Ant. Bourdelle.

I want you to be free for the Apollo at the museum. I hope another book will soon be published with a preface by me and two drawings. I will let you know. A new lecture on Art – from its origins to the present day – will be published later.

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The Head of Apollo is the culmination of a study begun by Bourdelle at the end of the 19th century, while he was still employed as an assistant by Rodin. At that time, Bourdelle was searching for his own artistic path, wishing to abandon the expressionist romanticism of his master. His Head of Apollo heralds the birth of his new style and his return to classical antiquity. The placement of the head on a faceted and asymmetrical base also signals a new era. Examples of this work are held at the Musée Bourdelle, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.