Royall Tyler to Mildred Barnes Bliss, June 6, 1928 [2]

Genève
League of Nations
6.VI.28Wednesday.

I’ve just received PantheonMarc Rosenberg, “Ein goldenes Pektoralkreuz,” Pantheon 1 (1928): 151–55. from Goldschmidt,Julius Falk Goldschmidt (1882–1964), an owner of the jewelry and antiquities firm J. and S. Goldschmidt in Frankfurt. and am about to wireSee telegram of June 6, 1928 [1]. you ‘croixThis cross has not been identified. vue chez Daguerre je ne trouve pas premier ordre prix absurd lettre [sic] suit.’“I’ve seen the cross at Daguerre’s. I do not consider [it of the] first order. Price absurd. Letter follows.”

It is the same object I thought it was, and Rosenberg had already sent me his article on it, dearest Mildred, so I had already considered the thing. Surely you must remember seeing it at Daguerre’s in May ‘27, when we went there together?The same meeting in Paris mentioned by Royall Tyler in his letter of May 3, 1927.

As to price, I had expected something fairly hot, but $12000!!! I think the object, which is interesting though rather coarse, would be well paid for at about 1/10 of that sum. I expect GoldschmidtJulius Falk Goldschmidt (1882–1964), an owner of the jewelry and antiquities firm, J. and S. Goldschmidt, Frankfurt. is right in dating it late VIth century, but dull works of art were produced even at that remote period, and where (whereas?) I find the Justin cross in the VaticanThe Cross of Justin II (565–578), or Crux vaticana, is in the Treasury Museum of the Church of Saint Peter in the Vatican. It is both a processional cross and a reliquary of the True Cross. See Holger A. Klein, Byzanz, der Westen und das ‘wahre’ Kreuz: Die Geschichte einer Reliquie und ihrer künstlerischen Fassung in Byzanz und im Abendland (Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2004), 70 and 96; and Valentino Pace, et al., La crux vaticana o croce di Giustino II (Vatican City: Capitolo Vaticano, 2009). We thank Beatrice Kitzinger for the latter reference. exciting, I fail to get any thrill out of the object under consideration. I didn’t even ask Daguerre what he wanted for it. I’ll try to find out what he sold it for. There ought to be some action taken to prevent archeos. from writing up objects while they are in the hands of dealers. The Bureau of Intellectual Cooperation of the L. of N.The League of Nations, an international organization in Geneva whose principal missions were to maintain world peace, settle international disputes through negotiation and arbitration, and create stability within financial markets. might for once do something useful if it achieved that object.

There are a couple of different Hungarian questions before the Council this time. I’ve been asked to stay another year in Hungary, and shall probably do so—unless—.

In haste and with much love to you and Robert.

Always yours
R. T.