A letter written by Mahatma Gandhi 19 days before his assassination is to be auctioned by Christie's in London next month.
LONDON: A letter written by Mahatma Gandhi 19 days before his assassination where he pleads for tolerance of Muslims in newly-partitioned India is among the handwritten treasures from a private collection to be auctioned by Christie's here next month.
The extensive collection, including a love letter by Napoleon, words of comfort from John Donne, and musings by Sir Issac Newton, are expected to fetch around 2 million pounds.
A letter from 16-year-old Winston Churchill to his mother in which he claims to be "getting on alright and am learning lots every day" will also be included in the July 3 auction.
Mahatma Gandhi's letter is expected to fetch at least 9,000 pounds to 12,000 pounds, a spokesman for Christie's informed.
The star of the collection is a letter by Donne, the celebrated priest and poet, which is "the finest manuscript by his hand in existence", the auction house said, and is estimated to sell for 120,000 pounds.
Donne wrote to Lady Kingsmill in 1624, offering consolation for the death of her husband.
"Let us not, who know in God's house there are many mansions, but yet have no model, no design of the form of that building, wonder at his taking in of his materials, why he takes the young, and leaves the old, or why the sickly over live those, that had better health," Donne wrote.
The letters were quietly amassed over three decades by the late Albin Schram, who kept them in a filing cabinet in his home in Lausanne, Switzerland, Christie's said.
A love letter by Napolean Bonaparte to Josephine, Viscomtesse de Beauharnais, before they married, is estimated to sell for up to 50,000 pounds, the auction house said.
It is one of only three known correspondences from Napoleon to Josephine before they entered into wedlock after a passionate affair of just three months.
The letter was written following a heated argument the previous evening, traditionally thought to have been a result of his enquiries into Josephine's wealth held in family estates in the West Indies.
Josephine accused Napoleon of loving her not for herself, and his touching reply admits his having been angry and declares his love. Napoleon signs off the letter: "je te donne tios baose un sur ton Coeur, un sur ta bouche un sur tes yeux." (I send you three kisses one on your heart, one on your mouth and one on your eyes).
Another rare piece is a handwritten manuscript by scientist Sir Isaac Newton, in which he discusses his thoughts regarding the theory of gravity and the structure of the university, comparing the classical views of Plutarch, Aristotle and Pluto and illustrating the breadth of his learning. It is estimated to go for 30,000 pounds to 50,000 pounds.
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