Letter from Georges Rouault, France?, to Paul Rosenberg, 1939 July 27 : autograph manuscript signed.

1. He says that the seals have been put on at MAV's [Ambroise Vollard's home on the rue Martignac--because Vollard died], so there's nothing that can be done with what's there. The heirs are coming from Madagascar. He signed an agreement on July 8 with MAV and feels that it is likely that the heirs will continue to respect it. 2. Thanking him for action taken by Rosenberg for him. Soon, as soon as they are dry, his daughter [Isabelle] is going to give him (Rosenberg) what he's been waiting for for almost 2 years. He strongly advises "parquetage" for the three paintings. He accepts the purchase price previously agreed to, although the 3 paintings have grown in value, even since Rosenberg last saw them. This is because he's done a lot of work since the seals were put on at rue Martignac. 3. As for the 3 paintings owned by Teu/Ten Kishima, he asks Rosenberg to leave a receipt saying that they belong to Mr. and Mrs. Kishima, although the said paintings are the basis for future transactions. Furthermore, at the Bing Gallery, in the rue Bonaparte, in the photo album, Rosenberg will find a very dark photo taken when the Christ flagellé was at Van Leer's. He advises Rosenberg to purchase the photo for a transaction with Monsieur T[ayant], as it is a very important and useful document. One of his works (an unimportant pastel on cardboard) should be exchanged for another that he would have liked to be even smaller. He's entrusting these 3 works to Rosenberg for "rentoilage" and "parquetage"--but for the Christ flagellé, a simple stretching on a châssis à clef may do. He wants Rosenberg's specialist to determine the price, and he'll take care of it if the transaction doesn't work out, the Tayants having proposed mounting this work, if necessary, on cardboard. Where they are now, are they aware of how different these paintings are from how they were before, especially parqueté and restored? Concerning the agreement between Rosenberg and Rouault, Rouault thinks the prices are too low because of how old it is, and because of delays. He wants Rosenberg to send Lot 1 (Rosenberg's) to him as well as Lot 2 (the Kishimas'), not to be repainted but for a necessary light restoration. With such restoration, the paintings will grow in value, especially where there are certain unnecessary thicknesses. If Rosenberg and the Tayants can be patient, they'll all have arrived at the end of the road. Rouault has more time now--at least temporarily--because of the death of Ambroise Vollard. (After signature) He knew Vollard since 1891 (maybe even before then). People are surprised to know that, but Rouault was very discreet--Vollard, too. He liked to gaze at the Cézannes and at Gauguin's Christ jaune (The Yellow Christ), which (the Gauguin) he saw in the shop in the rue Lafitte. He said that in spite of all the present lies people tell about religious art, no one spoke about it except to laugh slightly at a naïve painter like Rouault who, in spite of their talk, received a prize from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for a group of religious works. Vollard had nothing against religious art if he felt that it showed strong a love for painting.