[Letters] C.E. Hallé (1846-1914) related to Rubens

2 manuscript letters by the artist Charles Edmund Hallé to banker and collector Sir Anthony Nathan de Rothschild (1810-1876) concerning the search for a painting by Rubens. 1874. The painting concerned is Tribute Money, 1612-1614. Letter 1, 19 Sept. 1874, single folded folio, 18 x 22.5 cm with 2 folds. Stafford Club blind stamp. 78 manuscript lines on 4 pages. Letter 2, 1 Oct. 1874, single folded folio, 11 x 17.5 cm with 2 folds. 17 manuscript lines on 1 page. Remaining 3 pages blank.

Rothschild had previously commissioned Hallé to buy the painting for him, after he had seen it at the gallery of prince Demidov in Paris. However, the painting is not easy to trace, and Hallé embarks on a journey to museums and academies in Paris, St. Petersburg and Antwerp. Letter 1, 19 Sept. 1974: 'as I told you in my telegram the painting was not there, nor could I find it in the Winter Palace Academy or any private collection in Petersburg'. (total 2)