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New York 22, N.Y.

September 21, 1960

Dear Cesar,

It is to your memory that I am appealing today and I do hope that you will not mind my taking up your time with a purely academic question.

You will certainly recall the large "Estaque" by Cézanne which is in Wm. S. Paley Collection, originally from the Michel Monet Collection. In fact, we have had a photograph of it right along hanging in the small room with all the other ones and on the back of it in your own handwriting figures the inscription: "Wm.S. Paley Collection". I was right along under the impression that this painting had come through this firm and that I myself purchased it from Michel Monet. Thus, a few days ago, having written to W.S. Paley for permission to reproduce this painting as having come from this firm, I was astounded to hear that it did not come from us......?

I find no trace of this whole transaction, either purchase or sale in our New York books of accounting. My question to you is therefore do you remember if we ever owned this painting and, if so, to whom or through whom we sold it. The fact that it does not appear in our books might simply imply of course that the whole operation took place in Paris. My hope is that you certainly had an interest in it if we purchased it, you might recall the details of this mysterious transaction. I want to reassure you fully by repeating what I said at the beginning, namely that my inquiries are purely academic for my memory seems to be playing me a strange and unusual trick.

Trusting you are well and thanking you in advance for your kind reply,

With cordial thoughts,

Yours,


M. C.M. de Hauke
14, rue du Cherche-Midi
PARIS, 6ème. France

^[[de Hauke]]