Emile Delrue

In this delicate and finely crafted composition, a young woman leans from her balcony to hand a sealed love letter to a dove, acting as a symbolic messenger. The scene, emblematic of fin-de-siècle romanticism, evokes the ideals of courtly love and reflects a poetic reimagining of the medieval world, then revived by Romantic literature and Wagnerian opera.

More than a simple narrative drawing, The Love Letter distinguishes itself through its refined structure. The floral frame surrounding the main scene recalls medieval illumination, while the stylized letter 'D', decorated with a dove, functions as a symbolic and graphic counterpart to the image. This dual structure—both ornamental and narrative—echoes the layout of illuminated manuscripts, blending text and image in intimate harmony.

Through its technical finesse and compositional richness, this work reveals Delrue’s ability to merge decorative form, symbolic language and visual storytelling. It exemplifies a miniature art in which love is expressed with grace, subtlety and imagination.