Francis Bacon 1964 Catalogue Raisonné 1st Ed + HAND-SIGNED Letter Rothenstein

Francis Bacon: Catalogue Raisonné and Documentation by Ronald Alley & John Rothenstein (1964, 1st Edition) - WITH UNIQUE ARCHIVAL ASSOCIATED LETTERS. An exceptional, investment-grade collector's lot for scholars and admirers of Francis Bacon. This listing includes the definitive 1st Edition of the 1964 Catalogue Raisonné, uniquely enhanced by a highly significant piece of art-historical correspondence concerning the visual sources of Bacon's masterpieces.

THE BOOK: Title: Francis Bacon Authors: John Rothenstein (Introduction) and Ronald Alley (Catalogue Raisonné) Publisher: Thames and Hudson, London (1964) Edition: First Edition, First Printing Binding: Hardback with original cloth and the iconic dust jacket (featuring'Head II', 1949). Condition: Excellent collector's condition. The dust jacket is remarkably well-preserved, with only minor edge wear and surface rubbing; it is completely free from major tears or paper loss. The spine is vibrant and has not faded in the sun. The internal pages, text blocks and tipped-in colour plates are clean, crisp and free from any library stamps, owner's inscriptions or writing.

Minor foxing (age spots) is present strictly on the outer page edges (text block edges) as pictured, which is entirely consistent with a book of this age. THE ARCHIVAL LETTERS (Unique Association Content): Tucked inside the volume is a fascinating two-letter correspondence from December 1964 to January 1965 discussing the iconography of Francis Bacon's work: 1. Letter 1 (24 December 1964): A typed letter from art researcher and collector John Whitehead addressed to Sir John Rothenstein.

Whitehead suggests a brilliant visual connection: that the central figure in Bacon's seminal masterpiece'Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion' (1944) was influenced by John Tenniel's original illustration of the Jabberwocky in Lewis Carroll's'Through the Looking-Glass'. Letter 2 (5 January 1965): The official reply from Sir John Rothenstein on his personal Beaufort House stationery. Rothenstein warmly thanks Whitehead for the "fruitful piece of iconographical detection" and states that he and co-author Ronald Alley will immediately look into the Alice/Tenniel connection.

Hand-signed in ink by Sir John Rothenstein. COLLECTOR'S NOTE: This is a genuine'association copy' from the archive. The letters directly link the co-author and the legendary Tate Director to an active discussion about Bacon's artistic sources at the very time the catalogue was published. Please see the photos for exact condition details.

---