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Copy of a letter from Monsieur Réau to Mr. F. J. B. Watson.

Institut de France, 
54 Rue de la Faisanderie,
Paris VIe.
2. 4. 1952

Dear Sir,

I must apologize for the delay of my answer to your kind letter; but I spent the last week outside of Paris and was not able on that account to make any research about the group of the Education de l'Amour by Pigalle which was bought by Lord Hertford.

It is a matter of fact that Pigalle executed a model of this group which was commissioned for the royal gardens of Choisy-le-Roi in 1750. This model in plaster became the property of the Duke of Orleans.

You are perfectly write in stating that this model was sold not in London, but in Paris in 1851; but the indication of the Catalogue of this sale is certainly inadequate: the original work was in plaster and the documents prove that Pigalle gave up the execution in marble.

It would be useful for you to apply to the son of Jacques Seligman, the art-dealer who purchased the majority of the works of art belonging to the succession of Lord Hertford which remained at Bagatelle and were sold in 1904 by Sir John Murray Scott. The address of Mr. Germain Seligman is: 5 East 57th Street, New York. He inherited very likely full particulars about this sale.

Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) Prof. Louis Réau.