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Mildred Barnes Bliss to Royall Tyler, October 20, 1930

Hotel Plaza.The Plaza Hotel, one of the first luxury hotels to be built in South America. The hotel was inagurated in 1909 and touted all rooms with central heating and telephone access. Baires Oct 20/30Monday.

Royall dearest, how I want to talk with you, & I can’t even write you the letter I long to. However, better days will come and then God help you! This 3 a.m. scribble is to make sure you hear from us regarding the Doucet saleJacques Doucet (1853–1929), a French fashion designer and collector. See Collection Jacques Doucet: Céramiques d’Extrême-Orient, bronzes, sculptures, peintures chinoises et japonaises, laques du Japon, faïences de la Perse, de la Transcaspie et de la Mésopotamie, miniatures persanes, vente du vendredi 28 novembre 1930 (Paris : Impr. Lahure, 1930). The Blisses would acquire a Persian bowl (BZ.1930.11) from this sale. in time to permit of an airmail response before our final telegrams. Thanks for yr. Sept. 29th & Oct 2nd letters. The former reached me Oct. 14th, one day after the latter. We’re very pleased over the acquisition of Marie de B., & longing to see her. Thank you for everything. The résumé you gave is illuminating. Please learn all you can abt. Kevorkian’sHagop Kevorkian (1872–1962), a Turkish-Armenian archeologist, collector, and dealer of Middle Eastern antiquities. Sass. DishPlate with King Hunting Rams, Sasanian, ca. mid-fifth to mid-sixth century CE, silver, mercury gilding, and niello inlay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 34.33. See letter of October 2, 1930.—provenance, price, etc., & get a photo. It sounds, as if it were an object we sh. commit crime to own.

And now for Doucet. Buying by catalogue is harrowing. According to the illustrations this is how it now stands with us:

Yr. opinion wanted on 81,Doucet sale, Persian (Sultanabad) bowl, thirteenth century. See Collection Jacques Doucet: Céramiques d’Extrême-Orient, bronzes, sculptures, peintures chinoises et japonaises, laques du Japon, faïences de la Perse, de la Transcaspie et de la Mésopotamie, miniatures persanes, vente du vendredi 28 novembre 1930 (Paris : Impr. Lahure, 1930), 26, no. 81, pl. 24. 82,Doucet sale, Persian (Sultanabad) bowl, thirteenth century. See Collection Jacques Doucet: Céramiques d’Extrême-Orient, bronzes, sculptures, peintures chinoises et japonaises, laques du Japon, faïences de la Perse, de la Transcaspie et de la Mésopotamie, miniatures persanes, vente du vendredi 28 novembre 1930 (Paris : Impr. Lahure, 1930), 26, no. 82, pl. 25. 83Doucet sale, Persian (Sultanabad) bowl, thirteenth century. See Collection Jacques Doucet: Céramiques d’Extrême-Orient, bronzes, sculptures, peintures chinoises et japonaises, laques du Japon, faïences de la Perse, de la Transcaspie et de la Mésopotamie, miniatures persanes, vente du vendredi 28 novembre 1930 (Paris : Impr. Lahure, 1930), 27, no. 83, pl. 24. & 84 as to relative merits.

Miniature: 99Doucet Sale, Persian miniature of a Turkish prince, early sixteenth century. See Collection Jacques Doucet: Céramiques d’Extrême-Orient, bronzes, sculptures, peintures chinoises et japonaises, laques du Japon, faïences de la Perse, de la Transcaspie et de la Mésopotamie, miniatures persanes, vente du vendredi 28 novembre 1930 (Paris : Impr. Lahure, 1930), 32, no. 99, pl. 30.

Our bank acct. is low. Although we’ve come through the crash unscathed there is a temporary shrinkage. We’re not worried but don’t feel like drawing on capital, so give us a clue as to probable values. Of course if Weill, Stoclet & Co. want 85 we’re lost but we wd rather have it than any.

The steady aged AuldGeorge P. Auld (1881–1962), a naval officer and a certified public accountant. He served as accountant general of the reparation commission between 1920 and 1924 and would have been well known to Royall Tyler. has left, weary & companionable. His courages with us were many.

Please tell us if the HunksRoyall Tyler’s nickname for Hungarians. are behaving nicely to you & how is my Bourguignon! & Elisina? & Edith? & de Lorey? I feel I can hardly bear not seeing the Persian show.International Exhibition of Persian Art, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, London, January 7–February 28, 1931. See Persian Art: An Illustrated Souvenir of the Exhibition of Persian Art at Burlington House, London, 1931 (London: Hudson and Kearns, 1931), What are the dates of the Byzantine one?Byzantine art exhibition, 1931. A political synopsis is early [sic] awaited. I seem to scent internecine struggles ahead on an unprecedented scale. Trouble brewing here, but so far few see it—The surface looking good.

Bless you always & beyond

M.B.

My Mother & entourage sail fr. N.Y. Nov 8 for Paris to spend 1 month at Royall [sic] Monceau Hotel.This was the beginning of Anna Barnes Bliss’s travels around the world where she visited Egypt, India, and Japan, among other places. Perhaps you could interest her in the Photo-Reference Lib.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; January 30, 1929; February 28, 1929 [2]; March 11, 1929; and March 29, 1929 [1]. Have a try—

 
Associated Places: Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Associated Things: Byzantine Exhibition of 1931
Associated Artworks: BZ.1930.11; HC.P.1930.04.(O)