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^[[Copy sent FILE]]
^[[acct from Owen Porges]] 

[[preprinted]]
P. & D. COLNAGHI & CO.LTD.
(ESTABLISHED 1760) 
TELEGRAMS: COLNAGHI, PICCY, LONDON
TELEPHONE: REGent 1943-44.

DIRECTORS
[[strikethrough]]C. MAYER, U.S.A. Naturalised 1923 [[/strikethrough]]
J. J. BYAM SHAW, M.A., BRITISH
H.J.L.WRIGHT, BRITISH
D.C.T. BASKETT, BRITISH
R.Q. HENRIQUES, BRITISH
14, OLD BOND STREET,
LONDON, W. 1.
[[/preprinted]]

JBS.

20th September, 1956. 

Mr. Germain Seligman,
Messrs. Jacques Seligmann & Co. Inc.
5, East 57th Street,
New York, 22, U.S.A.

Dear Mr. Seligman,

Thank you so much for your letter of September 9th, which I have just found on my return from holiday. I am very grateful to you for offering a half share in the Palma Giovane, and from the photograph, and considering the dimensions, I think we should be very glad to accept. I should very much like to have the drawing here if that suits you. Unfortunately we have not got [[underline]]Rivista d'Arte[[/underline]], but I will look it up as soon as I am able to get to the British Museum. I have not the slightest doubt that this drawing is by Palma and as a study for this famous project it is obviously of historical importance as well as a fine drawing.

Now about the Raphael: I hope you will be pleased to hear that I have sold the drawing to a private collector here for £6,650. I am enclosing a statement, and we have already applied to the Bank to make payment to you. It was not Count Seilern who bought the drawing. He was obviously tempted by it, but he was unfortunately engaged with another important purchase, which he tells me he has just concluded. A slightly awkward situation arose, for although both Popham abd Parker accepted the drawing as Raphael's, and Parker particularly admired it, it turned out that Pouncey, happening to be in the Louvre on the day when the export license was applied for, had been shown a photograph of our drawing by Madame Saupique, and had expressed doubts. He asked to see it here, having heard of it from Popham, but I felt from the first that he was prejudiced, having given a somewhat adverse opinion to Madame Saupique, which he was naturally predisposed to defend; and although he did not say definitely that he rejected the drawing, he would not accept it without reserve. Now I would much rather go by the opinion of Popham and Parker than by that of Pouncey, but as the latter is at work at the moment on

/the