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May 4., 1940.

Dear Mr. Milliken:

I do want to thank you for your very kind letter of May 2nd., and to assure you that I would have been extremely proud to have my firm represented in your museum by two such outstanding works of art as the "Mourners".

Mr. de Hauke, I know, reported to you that the Executors could not see their way clear to accept the offer made by your Trustees. However, may I say that I personally do want to entertain the hope of finding some way by which, in time, these two figures will eventually go to your institution.

I have asked for an appointment with the Executors of the Estate, at which time I want to discuss further this whole matter with them. As Mr. de Hauke probably told you, as soon as he telephoned me that he had received your offer, I immediately took it up with the Executors, recommending their accepting it.

However it seems that the sum offered was not the sole obstacle to surmount - but essentially, I feel, the principle of splitting up the group of four. Their attitude should be seen in the light of several factors: One being that, had war broken out a few weeks later, our little "Mourners" would have been sold in Europe at a considerably higher figure than twice the offer of your Trustees. Another, the offers received for single figures - one of which was extremely high. A further factor is that though the Executors have been willing to make big slashes in prices of certain items, they feel the "Mourners" and a number of other works of art, to be of such importance that there will always be a wide interest in them - whereas for various other elements in the collection - due to the change in trend of taste - there is a limited field.

It is bearing in mind these different elements that I would like to see whether we can't work out a proposition I have in mind. As soon as I will have had the meeting with the Executors and should I see any ray of hope, I will post Mr. de Hauke so that he may take the matter up anew with you.

I note, of course, that the offer you made only held good for forty-eight hours.

Yours very sincerely,

(Germain Séligmann)


William M. Milliken, Esq.,
The Cleveland Museum of Art,
Cleveland, Ohio.