Sold for €80,000 (£70,175) by Christie’s Paris (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) on October 7 – more than doubling the previous best for the book – it bore a later, but key inscription: “Given to Pierre Loüys by his friend Oscar Wilde in London in June”.
Wilde had previously dedicated Salomé to Louys in appreciation of his comments and suggestions regarding the final draft of his French language manuscript, and though Wilde was put out by Loüy’s facetious response to that gesture, their friendship survived the slight.
