Viewing page 32 of 144

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

New York 22, New York

September 13, 1965

Dear Mr. Cecil:

Upon my return to town I not [[strikethrough]]o[[/strikethrough]] only found your so pleasant and interesting letter of July 21 but also the copy of Apollo you were so good as to forward. Apollo is one of the few art magazines I have not subscribed to thus without your lines I would have missed your most enlightening and detailed article. Indeed, I find it excellent in every respect and I am much impressed with the additional amount of research you have done.

You know, of course, that Edgar Stern's bust of"Sophie Arnould"was purchased directly from my Father, which is implied in your article.

On page 458, I was much amused to read that you indicated a definite purchase price for the "Frilouse". I do not believe I had this information, thus I may now add it to my own documentation. So many fancy reports were published at that time in the newspapers that personally I had hesitated taking their figures at their face value.

You also quote Lady Dilke's mention of a "Benjamin Franklin," by Houdon. I have no recollection whatsoever of it. However, as I expect I pointed out in my book, the purchase by my Father of the Wallace Bagatelle Collection coincided with the beginning of my military career so that there may well have been items which I did not see, should they have been sold before I had an opportunity to do so. On the other hand, as you know, the inventory which you now have is so vague at times that it could have covered a multitude of works of art.

Nevertheless, I do not believe that a bust actually existed in the collection for my father would certainly have referred to it at some time or another. His pride of ownership and his love of such masterpieces prompted his to allude to them.

As to Mr. Fowles' claim, I assume it to be correct as the "Diana" did not pass through my Firm.

This again, many thanks for the enjoyment the reading of your article on the sculpture provided and let me congratulate you for it is indeed a most valuable contribution to the history of art and all the more as - strangely enough - it is a chapter, and how important a one, which had remained hitherto little known, even to specialists.

With kindest regards,

Sincerely yours,

Germain Seligman

R.A. Cecil, Esq.
The Wallace Collection
Manchester Square
London W.1.

R