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CHRISTIE MANSON & WOODS Ltd.
8, King Streetm St. James's,
London, S.W.1.

4th January, 1957

Dear Germain Seligman,

Since receiving your letter of the 21st ultimo, I have been considering very carefully the four works of art you so kindly sent to us, and what you say about them in your recent letter.

I am really most anxious to do everything I possibly can for you with these items, but I do not see them realising the prices you place upon them. The Lancret is of course an authentic painting by the artist but it seems to me to have suffered rather and I think a minimum of £10,000. sterling is excessively high for it. 

The Schall picture has certainly as you mention a very interesting pedigree and story, but again it appears to be not in first class condition and I should have thought six or seven hundred pounds would have been on the high side.

My colleague's views on the Limoges enamel triptych and the marble head of a youth - which we shall certainly describe as soft marble - are that the prices are very high, forgetting altogether the prices realised by the figures in the Mortimer Schiff Sale.

I think that if the four items sold for 50% of your present prices they would be well sold, but I would naturally like the reserves lower than this. Whatever reserves you eventually decide to fix you know I will do all I possibly can to make the sale a success.

I notice that you say, in connection with the reserves, you doubt very much if your client would be willing to place any from the conversation you have had with him, but in view of the prices you mention, I certainly advise that some reserves would be fixed. Do please make these as moderate as you possibly can.

My firm's charges for the sale of Pictures and works of art are 12½% on lots up to £100. and 10% on lots over £100. If not sold thecharge is 5% on the price actually bidden on