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Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss, February 28, 1929 [2]

21 quai Bourbon
Paris
28 Feb. 29Thursday.

I’ve seen Mallon’s plates,See also letters of February 5, 1929; February 9, 1929; February 12, 1929 [1]; February 16, 1929; March 11, 1929; March 27, 1929; and December 26, 1929. dearest Mildred, and am wiringSee telegram of February 28, 1929 [1]. to you plats vus trouvé prix exorbitant déconseille décision sans voir personnellement.“Dishes seen. Found price exorbitant. Discourage decision without seeing personally.”

I’ve also seen Koechlin, and as Elisina had already gathered from him, he is in no sort of hurry. I don’t think there’s much danger of Mallon selling the stuff at his price of £3,500 in the meantime.

The plates are of very great interest and have a lot of character. I like them very much, and if Mallon were asking £1000 or even £1500 I think I’d advise you to buy without seeing. But £3,500 seems to me a hideous price.

I don’t think I’m being influenced in this by the circumstance that yesterday I ran into StoraIn 1927, Edgar Goodspeed (1871–1962), chairman of the Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University of Chicago, discovered a complete Byzantine New Testament manuscript with over ninety miniatures at the Parisian shop of Maurice Stora. The manuscript (The Rockefeller McCormick New Testament, Ms 965) was acquired by Goodspeed’s colleague Harold R. Willoughby on behalf of Mrs. Edith Rockefeller McCormick of Chicago. Interesting, this important Byzantine object is not mentioned in the Bliss-Tyler correspondence. Similarly, there is no mention of the Morgan Library Gospel Book (“Kerasous Gospels”), M. 748, which J. P. Morgan purchased through Harold R. Willoughby from Maurice Stora in 1929. Neither of these illuminated manuscripts, however, is of the quality and state of preservation that would have appealed to Tyler. in the Orient Express, and that Stora, who boarded the train at Munich, told me he had just bought some very important Xe cent. Byz. ivories, which he hasn’t yet got delivery of, but expects to get hold of before the end of March. We’ll see.

I have received from Ellis RussellEllis Russell, Robert Woods Bliss’s secretary in New York. a cheque for $1000 for the Photograph fund.Elisina Tyler established an archive of photographs of Byzantine objects; the project was partly funded by contributions solicited by Mildred Barnes Bliss. See also letters of May 7, 1927; November 20, 1927; May 10, 1928; January 30, 1929; March 11, 1929; and March 29, 1929 [1]. You are an angel to have taken so much trouble, and I’m most grateful. I enclose letters to the two kind givers, and will ask you to address them, as I’m only in possession of their names. The $250. you sent me last year is just about exhausted, having done most useful work, and we have a lot of orders in course of execution, so the $1000 will arrive just in time.

Elisina and I parted at Bpest, she to go to Berlin to stay with AldrovandiLuigi Aldrovandi Marescotti, Count of Viano (1876–1945), an Italian diplomat and ambassador to Germany between 1926 and 1929. and see the Chinese Show.“Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst” at the Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst and the Preußischen Akademie der Künste, Berlin. I’ve seen the catalogue. It looks good and pretty complete, but not many eye openers, I should say.

Poor Fettich was very ill with erysipelasA type of skin infection. when I left, but getting a little better. A very hard winter here.

I expect to be here till March 13, then an Italian trip with HambroRonald Olaf Hambro (1885–1961), the managing director of Hambros Bank since 1921.—ten days or so. Then, I expect, London, but I don’t know at all accurately. Please let me know your movements and dates as soon as possible.

Much love
R. T.

 
Associated Places: Paris (France)
Associated Things: M. & R. Stora, Paris