.Mjk4Mw.MzA0OQ

Charles Henry Hart, Esq. January 13, 1917. Page #3

dated October 20th, 1916, in which he unqualifiedly pronounces the Bust to be by Houdon and declares that question as to its attribution is a "perfect outrage". And again if further evidence were necessary, we have discovered in the illustrated Catalogue of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, the cataloguing of this Bust under the works of Houdon which appeared at the Salon in the year 1777, the year of the signature of the Bust. This Bust is numbered 242 in the catalogue and opposite the item is a sketch by de Saint-Aubin, after his usual manner, of this precise Bust. We deem ourselves extremely fortunate to have been able to martial such incontrovertible evidence. Even to a layman there could remain no shadow of doubt and surely to no one who professes to be expert in such matters there can no longer be an excuse for failure to pronounce this work unqualifiedly as Houdon's. All of the documents which we have before mentioned, are in our possession and at our place of business, 720 Fifth Avenue. They are there ready for your inspection

[H.365.022]