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November 20, 1970

Dear Mr. Pope-Hennessy;

These lines will greet you upon your return to London after, I hope, a not too tiring stay in the United States, and do let me say how much I enjoyed your visit and I am only sorry that it should have been so limited in time.

Separately I am writing about the Niello Processional Cross.

This letter refers to my marble high-relief, "Christ Carrying the Cross" which I have attributed to Du Broeucq and dated ca. 1535.

You theorized, you remember, on the possibility of a Spanish influence,lwhich would have complemented the Italian one (Du Broeucq went to Italy and was called back in 1535 by Mary of Hungary). I have thus pondered your suggestion of a possible Spanish influence, which, offhand, seemed logical in view of the political relationship between Spain and the Lowlands at that particular period.

As a result of your speculation, additional research has been undertaken and it would seem that in the sixteenth century, the aesthetic kinship between the Lowlands and Spain followed the same trend as in the fifteenth century, when Van Eyck and Roger Vander Weyden, among others, had such a marked weight on the development of painting in Spain. In other words, the trend was from the North to the South and not in reverse.

However, this new research has revealed a considerable bibliography, which you will see mentioned on the enclosed sheet accompanying the two photographs of my high-relief (these are taken with different lighting).

To abbreviate this already too-lengthy exposé, the main point disclosed by this research is the presence in the Cathedral of Burgos of the work of a French sculptor, Vigarny, (born in Langres). Also, of another Flemish artist, Jehan Mone, who was entitled "Scultpteur de l'Empereur", who worked in the Lowlands, a contemporary of Du Broeucq, commissioned by Charles Quint for certain works and about whose achievements unfortunately there are but faint reproductions.! We have also the confirmation of Giovanni da Bologna having started his career with Du Broeucq.

The latter, as already surmised, seems to have been the leading

(T.S.V.P.)
GS