Viewing page 6 of 25

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

^[[checkmark]]

December 6, 1951

Dear Mr. Briere:

I am taking the liberty of writing you in English as I gathered from my conversation with Mr. Franklin M. Biebel that though you do not answer in English, you do read it fluently.

As on the other hand my secretary does not write French it is indeed a great simplification if you allow me to write you in this language.

SSince writing you I have thus had another talk with Mr. Biebel, and with the very kind help you have given me I do not doubt that I shall shortly receive the photographs of these different works of art.

I have also given him a list of the two or three items which were not known to you and which I understand might be today in the possession of one or the other member of the family.

In my last letter I realize that I did not answer some of your questions - namely the one about the imitations or replicas of the Nazarines commodes, sold by Duveen Brothers and coming from Murray Scott.

I doubt very much that my father would have sold them to ^[[the]] Duveen firm as I do not believe the heads of the two firms were on such terms at that particular moment. However, and as is certainly known to you, Murray Scott must have had in England certain works of art which were not part of the Bagatelle Wallace collection, for certain auctions bearing the name of Murray Scott took place in England and included works of art which of course did not come from the part of the collection my father purchased.

Should this not be clear to you I will be only too pleased to relate the different incidents that occurred at the time of the purchase of the Wallace collection by my father, as I recall them.

Now in connection with the Gouthiere console in gilt bronze and with a blue "turquin" marble, it occurred to me since writing about the "Ange de Lude" that the Morgan Library should be able to shed light on the originals of these two great works of art.

As it is my intention to communicate with the Morgan Library on some of the other precious treasures Pierpont Morgan bought from my father I shall 

continued......

^[[Briere]]