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[[preprinted]]
MATTHIESEN LTD.
11, CARLOS PLACE,
GROSVENOR SQUARE,
W.1.

TELEPHONE.MAYFAIR 3496.
TELEGRAMS.MATTHIART,AUDLEY,LONDON.

DIRECTORS.
F. M. ZATZENSTEIN-MATTHIESEN (GERMAN)
ALBERT M. OPPENHEIMER (BRITISH)
H. KROLIK (BRITISH FORMERLY NO STATE)
[[/preprinted]]

28th October 1937.

Dear Mr Seligmann,

I was delighted to hear when I came back from my holiday that after such a long interlude our firms have been doing business again.  I think you have taken a very good choice as I personally think very highly of this picture.  It's only weak point is, the provenance.  I bought it with the help of an intermediary, who told me beforehand that he could not, under any circumstances, disclose the owner's name, the reason he gave me was very convincing as he showed me some most interesting ^[[photos of]] pictures which belonged to the same collection and evidently he and the owner wanted to protect themselves against molestation and indiscretion.  All he said was, that the collection where the picture comes from is in the South of France.

I received your telegram and I am particularly sorry that these two pictures did not interest me for the moment.  The Barbara Master is quite interesting for a small price, but not actually what one wishes to buy under the ruling conditions.  What I am still interested in is, the Roger van der Weyden.  Could you send me a photograph and take an option of say, three weeks or a month and give me a definite price?  Am I right, because my memory is not too good, that the picture is reproduced in Friedländer's book as the'Dream of Pope Sergius"?

Things here are completely at a standstill, except that our clients for first class Dutch Interiors seem still ready to buy.  Also we are looking for a fine Hals and a fine Rembrandt portrait, both have to come out of a good collection and must not have been in the trade for the last five years or more.

Would you be interested if we sent you a list of horrible 19th century painters of the Italien and Swiss schools, for which, however, we cannot help having very keen clients?  These sort of pictures are in profusion, distributed in American collections and it may be quite interesting to buy them over there for next to nothing.