| Description | Tuesday
Dear Signor
I have unfortunately missed the post but this should reach you tomorrow morning & I would ask you to be so kind as to wire, as we meet tomorrow afternoon & must settle something. I understand your feeling about not withdrawing Joachim from your bequest in order to sell it though you would be doing so not for the money (& you could always substitute a work of equivalent value to the nation in its stead so as not to profit by this transaction), but I own that I also should strongly deprecate the painting being withdrawn from the public of this country except it were to enable a number of men to mark their high admiration for this great Artist. The first thought & one, in the abstract not yet abandoned, was to give him a violin because, apart from the general fitness of the gift, it would be convertible at his death into money & the joint object of the gift is also to help to provide for his children - in fact in Germany they are openly making up a money offering, which we don't contemplate doing. If therefore a fine violin has turned up since last week it would probably be bought; failing the one we tried for in vain - but this second best fiddle may not exhaust by any means the monies we ought to collect & we might I hope offer him a portrait from your hand besides. What I want you to do is to wire like a good boy on receiving this what sum we must have to obtain a replica such as you propose. Observe I write this off my own bat - but I know how much it would please him. Only please something definite!
In haste
Yours affec
Fred Leighton |