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Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss, June 28, 1936

Antigny-le-Château

Par Arnay-le-Duc

(Côte d’Or)

28.VI.36

I have stolen three days here on my way to London, dearest Mildred, and have found Bill getting on as well as one could hope. He has gained weight steadily. The last time SmolezanskiDr. Léon Smolizanski (1882–1944), author of L'albumine dans les crachats des tuberculeux (Paris: Jouve, 1911). saw him, 3 weeks ago, he found there was still a point of inflammation, but much reduced. In 10 days Bill goes up to Paris to see him again. However, Smol. told Elisina that Bill mustn’t start working again till the New Year—and I suppose one must be prepared to be told, later, that he’d better not start then. Well—a few months now are nothing when one considers what might have happened.

I was in Vienna the other day, and happened to meet one of the AlbertinaThe Albertina, a museum in Vienna, Austria, that houses an important collection of approximately sixty-five thousand drawings and approximately one million old master prints. officials, who told me that the excitement caused by stories of the sale of part of the Collection had now subsided, adding that the officials had known all the time that the sale couldn’t take place, because the highest legal authority in the State would not recognise that the ArchdukeIn 1935, Albrecht of Hungary, Archduke and Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, and Duke of Teschen (1897–1955)—in a bid to gain the title of emperor of Hungary and increase his finances—attempted a secret negotiation with Henry P. Rossiter (1885–1977), curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Paul Sachs, associate director of the Fogg Art Museum, to sell his print and drawing collection. Rossiter, Sachs, and Agnes Mongan (1905–1996) traveled secretly to Vienna to authenticate hundreds of drawings until the Austrian government learned of the plan and seized and nationalized the collection. had the right to dispose.

I rather fancy that when the Archduke told S.’sProbably Paul Sachs. lawyers, or got SchuschniggKurt Alois Josef Johann Schuschnigg (1897–1977), chancellor of the First Austrian Republic. to tell them, that if the sale took place, the Govt would not oppose export, what the Govt meant was that if the Austrian Courts were to find that the Archduke was entitled to sell, the State would not oppose export.

Well, I’ll admit that if I were in the Austrian Govt’s place I’d not do otherwise.

Things are peaceful enough here, but there’s an uneasy feeling, and our friends are very apprehensive. Some people think that the Radicaux are getting so frightened by the turn events have taken that they will shortly use their key position to oust BlumAndré Léon Blum (1872–1950), a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and a three-time prime minister of France. and push the centre of gravity towards the right, forming a Flandin-Pietri-DaladierPierre Étienne Flandin (1889–1958), a French conservative politician of the Third Republic, a leader of the Democratic Republican Alliance, and a prime minister of France from November 1934 to May 1935; François Piétri (1882–1966), a minister in several governments in the later years of the French Third Republic; and Édouard Daladier (1884–1970), a French Radical politician who became the prime minister of France at the start of the Second World War. combine perhaps under Salengro.Roger Henri Charles Salengro (1890–1936), a French politician who was minister of the interior during the Popular Front government in 1936.

The whole of our Vol. IllL’art byzantin. text is now in the publishers’ hands, and as they’ve had all the photographic material, complete, for 9 months, I hope the vol. may appear in October.

Hayford is uncertain whether he can come this summer, alas—his old father is sinking. I expect he’ll go on as at present for years. Hayford has bought the Juritzky iron birdThis iron bird has not been identified. It was in the collection on Prince Alfred Antonin Juritzky (1887–1961), an artist and art collector. It is mentioned in correspondence from Antonin Juritzky to Robert Woods Bliss, dated March 4, 1936, in the Byzantine Collection, Juritzky correspondence file. ($450) and I’ve brought it here. I like it better and better the more I see it.

Much love to you both, dearest Mildred.

Yrs

R. T.

Betbill and Elisina send you much love.

 
Associated Things: L'art byzantin