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Royall Tyler to Robert Woods Bliss, October 16, 1934

Finance Ministry

Budapest

16.X.34

Dear Robert.

Many thanks for your letter of Sept. 25. I’m glad you got Gourko’s ring:BZ.1934.3. it’s a good object. I shall venture to ask G. for a photo. of it.

I can understand your feeling you can do without the Trivulzio diptych.BZ.1935.4.a–b.

If things continue coming from that quarter, there are two sublime ivories there: the Christ,Christ Enthroned, Byzantine, second half of the tenth century, ivory, private collection, Switzerland. See Anthony Cutler, The Hand of the Master, Craftsmanship, Ivory, and Society in Byzantium (Ninth–Eleventh Centuries) (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994), 45, ills. 46 and 47. and the AnnunciationAnnunciation, late seventh–early eighth century (?), ivory, Civiche Raccolte d’Arte Applicata, Castello Sforzesco, Milan, inv. A.14. It was acquired from the Trivulzio Collection in 1935. The ivory has been variously dated. See Kurt Weitzmann, ed., Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1979), 198–99, no. 448; and Serena Ensoli and Eugenio La Rocca, Aurea Roma: Dalla città pagana alla città cristiana (Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider, 2000), 590, no. 284. See also Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition Seventh–Ninth Century, edited by Helen C. Evans with Brandie Ratliff (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012), 46–47, no. 24H. which seems to belong to the Grado throne group.The so-called Grado Chair, a lithurgical throne given by Emperor Heraclius (reigned 610–614) to Grado, Italy, after his successful reconquest of Egypt. The chair was ornamented with carved ivory plaques. See Kurt Weitzmann, The Ivories of the So-Called Grado Chair (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, 1972); and Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition Seventh–Ninth Century, edited by Helen C. Evans with Brandie Ratliff (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012), 46–47, no. 24H. If either of those two ever fetched loose.......

Loveday,Alexander Loveday (1888–1962), a British economist who worked for the League of Nations, becoming director of the Financial Section and Economic Intelligence Service in 1931. about whom I wrote to you, will be in Washington before long. I think his wife will be with him. She is Roumanian, but entirely unlike anything that word suggests. She is a very nice woman, & cultivated. He is really the salt of the earth, & an awfully good economist.

Much love to your both. It was good to hear what you said about Bill & Betsy.

Yrs

R. T.

 
Associated Places: Budapest (Hungary)
Associated Artworks: BZ.1934.3; BZ.1935.4.a-b