Autograph Letter Signed Florian, to Citizen Mercier, n.d., early 1790s, one page (3-3/4 x 4-1/2 in.), thanking a friend for much-needed supplies and then mentioning work on a poem about William Tell. Florian died of tuberculosis in his prison cell, an unfortunate casualty of the French Revolution. The letter, penned on a fragment of stationery, is presented in a modern silvery gilt wooden frame.

Frame 11-3/4 x 10-3/4 in.

From the Collection of the late Sterling Boyd, Raleigh, North Carolina
Sterling Boyd was a consummate collector and Southern gentleman. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, he studied art history at Sewanee: The University of the South, Oberlin College, and received his doctorate from Princeton University. He shared his enthusiasm for the fine arts through positions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Boyd also taught and mentored future art historians at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and later headed the art department at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Following his academic and museum careers, Sterling Boyd channeled his talents for interior design and decoration. His Raleigh apartment was a cabinet of curiosities, each item carefully collected from his world travels and perfectly placed in his jewel box of a home.

Clean, with bold manuscript. Very good condition.