Information
Splendid set of 4 letters and a telegram, autographed and signed by Pierre de Coubertin, all concerning Rome's candidacy for the 1908 Olympics. First letter from Paris, dated 10/02/1904, addressed to Giovanni Giolitti, 4 pp. in 8th; second letter from Bern, 02/20/1905, addressed to the Mayor of Rome, Prince Prospero Colonna, two 4th pages on "Comité International Olympique" headed paper with envelope but without postage (delivered by hand); third letter again from Bern, 02/20/1905, addressed to Count Enrico di San Martino Valperga, two pages in 4° on "Comité International Olympique" headed paper; fourth letter from Paris, dated 04/18/1904 addressed to an unidentified recipient, two pages. in 8th on "Comité International Olympique" headed paper. Joined a telegram sent from London on 22 June 1904 and addressed to the Mayor of Rome, Principe Colonna. Included in the lot are some Decubertian volumes, including the first edition in 4 volumes of the Histoire Universelle, Société de l'Histoire universelle, Aix-en-Provence, 1920. ;
Specialist Notes
Berne, 20 February 1905
"Monsieur le Maire, er I was patronage of the IV Olympiad in Rome, the international committee gathered in London on 22 June 1904 to decide that the young Olympics of 1908 would be held in Rome On this tour I want you to know that without delay the municipality will be well-designed by the executive committee which will also be particularly important to prepare for the success of the IVieme Olympiade. distinguished and honored by Baron de Coubertin
Président du Comité International Olympique"
The dream of renewing the myth of Olympia in Athens was crowned, after having made the mistake of insisting on coupling with the Expo for Paris and St. Louis, de Coubertin had another declared objective: marrying the classicism of the Greek Games with the thousand-year-old tradition of Rome. But the choice of Rome was neither easy nor painless. At the session of the Olympic Committee held in the British capital in 1904 (22 June), the Games of the fourth Olympiad for 1908 were assigned to Rome: in reality, 56 years would have passed for this to happen. While the seventh session of the IOC from London assigned the Games to Rome on 22 June 1904, the Giolitti government was busy with many other issues: popular uprisings, general strike, revolt in the South, new elections and strengthening of its coalition. In London it was immediately noticed that as a credential Count Brunetta (of Piedmontese origin, born in 1857, a great sports enthusiast, was the Italian representative at the Parisian Expo of 1889 when de Coubertin invited him to the physical exercise congress which took place in within the Exposition and in 1897 he was appointed member of the IOC) could only present a letter of moral support from the mayor of Rome, but de Coubertin had steered the assembly towards yes and Germany agreed was determined to withdraw Berlin's candidacy. So the IOC spoke out for Rome, but Italy only responded with a telegram of congratulations from King Vittorio Emanuele III, which meant neither money nor direct patronage. 1905 was a bad year for Italy: Giolitti resigned, Fortis attempted to form the government twice, all resources were absorbed by the earthquakes in Calabria and Sicily. The money, between street protests and investments for the Simplon tunnel and the Apulian aqueduct, was not there, even regardless of the claims of Milan and Turin as rivals of Rome. So Brunetta decided to choose Athens 1906, the tenth anniversary Games, to declare - with the excuse of the eruption of Vesuvius - that not even the new prime minister, Sydney Sonnino, was willing to support the Roman Olympics. In the Athenian session of the IOC that Brunetta chaired, the Italian member's announcement starkly revealed that de Coubertin, who remained in Paris, had cultivated an impossible dream.
These letters are direct testimony to that dream. A story already known but which with these documents is enriched with details to study and explore. Like the idea of establishing prizes for literature, architecture, sculpture and painting competitions which should have accompanied Olympic athletic competitions for the first time.
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"Monsieur le Maire, er I was patronage of the IV Olympiad in Rome, the international committee gathered in London on 22 June 1904 to decide that the young Olympics of 1908 would be held in Rome On this tour I want you to know that without delay the municipality will be well-designed by the executive committee which will also be particularly important to prepare for the success of the IVieme Olympiade. distinguished and honored by Baron de Coubertin
Président du Comité International Olympique"
The dream of renewing the myth of Olympia in Athens was crowned, after having made the mistake of insisting on coupling with the Expo for Paris and St. Louis, de Coubertin had another declared objective: marrying the classicism of the Greek Games with the thousand-year-old tradition of Rome. But the choice of Rome was neither easy nor painless. At the session of the Olympic Committee held in the British capital in 1904 (22 June), the Games of the fourth Olympiad for 1908 were assigned to Rome: in reality, 56 years would have passed for this to happen. While the seventh session of the IOC from London assigned the Games to Rome on 22 June 1904, the Giolitti government was busy with many other issues: popular uprisings, general strike, revolt in the South, new elections and strengthening of its coalition. In London it was immediately noticed that as a credential Count Brunetta (of Piedmontese origin, born in 1857, a great sports enthusiast, was the Italian representative at the Parisian Expo of 1889 when de Coubertin invited him to the physical exercise congress which took place in within the Exposition and in 1897 he was appointed member of the IOC) could only present a letter of moral support from the mayor of Rome, but de Coubertin had steered the assembly towards yes and Germany agreed was determined to withdraw Berlin's candidacy. So the IOC spoke out for Rome, but Italy only responded with a telegram of congratulations from King Vittorio Emanuele III, which meant neither money nor direct patronage. 1905 was a bad year for Italy: Giolitti resigned, Fortis attempted to form the government twice, all resources were absorbed by the earthquakes in Calabria and Sicily. The money, between street protests and investments for the Simplon tunnel and the Apulian aqueduct, was not there, even regardless of the claims of Milan and Turin as rivals of Rome. So Brunetta decided to choose Athens 1906, the tenth anniversary Games, to declare - with the excuse of the eruption of Vesuvius - that not even the new prime minister, Sydney Sonnino, was willing to support the Roman Olympics. In the Athenian session of the IOC that Brunetta chaired, the Italian member's announcement starkly revealed that de Coubertin, who remained in Paris, had cultivated an impossible dream.
These letters are direct testimony to that dream. A story already known but which with these documents is enriched with details to study and explore. Like the idea of establishing prizes for literature, architecture, sculpture and painting competitions which should have accompanied Olympic athletic competitions for the first time.
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