Lot 548 - A208 Books & Autographs - Wednesday, 20. March 2024, 02.00 PM
Freud, Sigmund (1856-1939).
Collection of 23 handwritten letters to Alphonse Maeder in Zurich. In addition to 4 letter drafts from Maeder to Freud.
Vienna, 2 February 1910 - Rome, 21 September 1913.
Important letters with high source value in the history of science. As a close associate of C. G. Jung, Maeder was initially in close contact and exchange with Freud before remaining in the "Zurich" camp in the wake of the rift between Freud and Jung. The correspondence begins on 2 February 1910 with "best thanks for your valuable communication, which is also therapeutically so very useful (...)"
This is followed by a substantive conversation about work, colleagues, readings and therapies ("Enclosed are your interesting remarks on the function of the ego retour..."). The tone is friendly and collegial, and Freud sends his "most tender congratulations" on the birth of Maeder's child (16.11.11). There is a great deal of praise, although the praised person is not necessarily assessed at eye level: "Your work on Cellini's self-healing is really beautiful and edifying. I was less pleased with your presentation on the dream function at the 2nd Congress."
Finally, the correspondence ends with the momentous break between Freud and the Zurich School. From the Eden Hotel in Rome, Freud addressed final words to Maeder on 21 September 1913: "I thank you for your kind letter, which is not completely devalued by its posthumous nature. [...] I can predict that your path will very soon lead you out of the I[nternational] P[sychoanalytical] [Association] and that you will not find your way back [...]" - The collection is largely listed in Tögel, Verzeichnis der Briefe von und an Freud, Lausanne 2023 - Tögel lists four more letters that are not included here. Instead, there is a letter dated 30 March 1911, which is missing from Tögel.
Alphonse Maeder (1882-1971), born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, studied medicine in Bern, Zurich and Berlin, gained his doctorate in Zurich and from 1909 was an assistant at the Psychiatric University Clinic in Zurich (Burghölzli) under Eugen Bleuler and Carl Gustav Jung. He opened his own practice in 1918.
Each letter perforated, resulting in isolated losses of letters. Isolated light ink smudges. A few small marginal tears and creases, overall in excellent condition.
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This is followed by a substantive conversation about work, colleagues, readings and therapies ("Enclosed are your interesting remarks on the function of the ego retour..."). The tone is friendly and collegial, and Freud sends his "most tender congratulations" on the birth of Maeder's child (16.11.11). There is a great deal of praise, although the praised person is not necessarily assessed at eye level: "Your work on Cellini's self-healing is really beautiful and edifying. I was less pleased with your presentation on the dream function at the 2nd Congress."
Finally, the correspondence ends with the momentous break between Freud and the Zurich School. From the Eden Hotel in Rome, Freud addressed final words to Maeder on 21 September 1913: "I thank you for your kind letter, which is not completely devalued by its posthumous nature. [...] I can predict that your path will very soon lead you out of the I[nternational] P[sychoanalytical] [Association] and that you will not find your way back [...]" - The collection is largely listed in Tögel, Verzeichnis der Briefe von und an Freud, Lausanne 2023 - Tögel lists four more letters that are not included here. Instead, there is a letter dated 30 March 1911, which is missing from Tögel.
Alphonse Maeder (1882-1971), born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, studied medicine in Bern, Zurich and Berlin, gained his doctorate in Zurich and from 1909 was an assistant at the Psychiatric University Clinic in Zurich (Burghölzli) under Eugen Bleuler and Carl Gustav Jung. He opened his own practice in 1918.
Each letter perforated, resulting in isolated losses of letters. Isolated light ink smudges. A few small marginal tears and creases, overall in excellent condition.
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CHF 50 000 / 80 000 | (€ 51 550 / 82 470)
Sold for CHF 125 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.