[Manuscript statement about First World War] Page extracted from a Birthday Book. In French., signed "Jean Delville". with pages signed by family members

Jean Delville, (1867-1953) Belgian symbolist painter, author, poet, polemicist, teacher, and Theosophist (Wiki)

Published by and 1918, 1914

About this Item

One page, 4to, good condition, extracted from a Birthday Book with bookplate of N. Hardy Wallis, author. Delville discusses intially the call up of his son, Elie, to fight "les hordes barbares du Kaiser, le plus fou et le plus cruel des Allemandes, le plus sot et le plus bete des Empereurs", hoping that his son will one day retrurn to visit the "famille Wallis" having done his duty fighting for "son pays et gtande Angleterre". This staement is dated 13 Decembre 1914. He has added another staement in red ink and closely-written (for lack of space). He and his family are about to return to "Belgique libérée" with the Kaiser now simply "Mossieu [sic] Wilhelm". He hopes for punishment for him. He then mentions the four years of hospitality his family has had in England ("la libre et hospitaliere Angleterre"), referring in particular to theWallis family ("qui a fait preuve de sentiments de fraternité vraiment chrétienne". Signed "Jean Delville, Christmas 1918". WITH additional pages extractred from the Birthday Book signed (with sentiments in their hand) by his children, Mira, Annie, Elie (dated 12 Nov. 1914) and Ernest. See Image (Jean Delville). Note: "When War broke out, Delville, amongst many Belgians, were welcomed in Britain as exiles. He moved there with his entire family, including his wife and four younger children and settled in Golders Green in London. His two oldest sons, Elie and Raphaël Delville, were conscripted into the Belgian War Effort (both survived the conflict). Delville played an active role in London, through his writings, art and public addresses (he was a gifted orator) in support of the Belgians in exile and the conflict against the Germans. He contributed to the Belgian expatriate newspaper in London, L'Indépendence Belge and wrote several articles and poems virulently condemning German aggression. He was an active member of the philanthropic society for Belgian refugees, La Ligue des Patriotes de Belgique, and was the president of La Ligue des Artistes belges that was responsible for the creation of the successful publication Belgian Art in Exile the sale of which raised money for Belgian charities in England. The work contains a great number of representative paintings and other works of art by contemporary Belgian artists." See Image.

Seller Inventory # 16627

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Manuscript statement about First World War] Page extracted from a Birthday Book. In French., signed "Jean Delville". with pages signed by family members
• Publisher: and 1918
• Publication Date: 1914