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De Sade's 1785 work, written in tiny script on
33 pieces of scroll while he was imprisoned in the Bastille, was
due to be auctioned on Wednesday as one of the prize items in a
vast collection of notes, letters and musical scores being sold
off.
But De Sade's 12-metre long manuscript, along with four works by
one of the founders of surrealism, Andre Breton, were this week
declared national treasures by France's Ministry of Culture,
keeping them out of contention.
The two lots, from a trove of documents and artifacts assembled
by a now-defunct French company, had drawn interest from U.S.
and European private buyers, Paris-based auctioneers Aguttes
said.
The French state will now have 30 months to raise the funds for
the purchase from citizens or the help of private fortunes, or
the items will be put back on sale.
De Sade's daring novel -- left behind in his cell when he moved
out in 1789, during the French Revolution, and only later
discovered and published -- had been expected to fetch between 4
million and 6 million euros ($7.09 million).
It recounts the story of four aristocrats who resolve to
experience every sexual perversion.
The works by Breton on surrealism, which helped define the 20th
century artistic movement, had been forecast to sell for up to
5.5 million euros for the lot.
The auction is the first in a series of attempts to liquidate a
130,000-strong collection of artworks and literary treasures
pulled together by Aristophil, a group set up in 1990 that
raised funds from some 18,000 investors in exchange for a share
in the pieces.
The company went bankrupt in 2015, causing losses for its
backers, while founder Gerard Lheritier was detained and put
under investigation for fraud, a charge he denies.
Other items in the collection include original manuscripts by
'The Three Musketeers' author Alexandre Dumas and operatic
scores drafted by Richard Strauss, and have drawn interest from
Chinese buyers and European institutions, the auctioneers said.
($1 = 0.8467 euros)
(Reporting by Charlotte Peytour and Luke Baker, Writing by Sarah
White; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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