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May 12, 1950

Gentlemen:

I am writing you today in order to advise you that I am authorized by the S.H. Kress Foundation, New York to offer a price of $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars) for the two marble busts by COYSEVOX representing "Louis XIV" and his brother "Phillippe, Duc d'Orleans" which are your property, providing however that in the judgement of the trustees of that Foundation the busts should be found in every way in keeping with the photographs and representations made in connection therewith, and that further these busts are to be made available for the trustees to see at my gallery in New York around September 15th.

The trustees are agreed to consider that within a period of two weeks after the arrival of these busts they should be able to give their final decision which would be, either to purchase the busts at the figure of $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars) or reject them.

It is further understood that the Foundation will assume none of the expenses connected with such shipment.

I do hope that you will find it possible to accept these conditions and ship the two COYSEVOX busts accordingly, and allow me thus to close this deal which I have been negotiating for several months as you know so well.

You do realize I feel certain that the S. H. Kress Foundation one of the most important philanthropic organizations in this country, only buy works of art for the purpose of giving them to museums such as the National Gallery in Washington, the Metropolitan Museum of New York and the like.

In view of the above I assume that you will have at heart to abide by so clearly expressed a desire and interest that the same reasoning will enable you to obtain the necessary facilities from the French organizations concerned.

Furthermore, and this is of course strictly a personal comment - the price offered is of such a nature that it should it seems to me, be one which will be agreeable to you, and also be of considerable weight with the exchange control commissions in view of the repeated appeals we receive here of France's need for dollars. 

You would oblige me greatly by posting me at your earliest

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