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Fogg Art Museum  

Harvard University - Cambridge 38 - Massachusetts

October 13, 1965

Mr. Henry S. Francis
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard at University Circle
Cleveland, Ohio
44106

Dear Harry:

I have been meaning to pose a number of questions ever since those August days when I was struggling still with the first pages of the Sachs Exhibition catalogue. I am confused about the history of your Degas drawing of Diego Martelli.

According to your article for the Cleveland Bulletin for December, 1957, your drawing comes from the Natanson collection and also from the third sale No. 160.2. What confuses me is how could that be, because all the things in the Degas sales, as I understand it, came directly from his studio and the Natansons formed their collection long before the Degas sales. Chronologically it could happen, but physically could it happen?

Another query related to the same thing, I remember seeing at Helft's in the mid '30's a Diego Martelli drawing which I would guess, if not yours, was related to yours. It was on quite brown paper. do you know anything about that?

You perhaps have caught up as I have on the most recent literature concerning Diego Martelli. He seems to have been a Florentine critic instead of a Neapolitan engraver. I don't know how I picked up the mis-information, but I am now correcting my old texts.

I had something else to ask you, but I will come upon it in time, and then you will have from me another query.

When I returned from my trip to the West Coast Miss Bennett had already left for the mid-West. I have sent her a copy of your letter of October 4th. If she was unable to change her plans, I know she will be disappointed at missing you.

Sincerely yours,

Agnes Mongan
Associate Director
Curator of Drawings

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