Correspondence, notes, expense lists, and invoices for objects obtained by Gen. Munthe and shipped to Gertrude Bass Warner in Eugene [021]
Item
Title
Correspondence, notes, expense lists, and invoices for objects obtained by Gen. Munthe and shipped to Gertrude Bass Warner in Eugene [021]
Author
Munthe, Johan Wilhelm Normann
Recipient
Warner, Gertrude Bass, 1863-1951
Date
1930-10-19
Identifier
UA022_b005_f006_079_082
Description
Correspondence between Gertrude Bass Warner and General Normann Munthe
Transcript:
Oct-19-1930
(All loving and true thoughts and wishes to you, my dear Friend, your good Friend, Normann Munthe)
Peking 19 October, 1930.
My dear Friend,
Your good and kind letter of Aug 23rd. has been before some time, but I have been working for you all along and did not want to write till I had got off what I was after. First of all, here’s my hand and a good handshake for your letter, I see the logic and sense in what you say, no doubt. I should [] by the [] for some time and in that time think of nothing else and a pride healthy would no doubt come. There is no reason, [] or otherwise why it should not come, but the [] daily-ceremony claims of [] seem to ground me here, and the only solution I can see is to get away from it entirely. God willing and approving, it is my idea to get away from here in April next year. That God will keep His hand over me till that time, I firmly believe, as He will not leave His work half-done. He has shown that he approves of my idea to take what I have with money and give it to charity. I made my testament to this effect early this year, so it must [] came true in Good and [] and every/ As I have told you before, once in America, I shall communicate with you a once and we shall do all we can in Christian Science together, and after that the Museum. Just as it pleases and suits you as I shall be my own master as regards the disposal of my time. I have numerous invitations invitations to come and stay with people, but I am not fond of staying with others in contradiction to my wife, who adores it. It suits my wife best to remain here while I go on leave, as she is writing the continuations of he history of China, and can do that best here./
Begin here
As I told you in my last letter, I enclosed your bronze, well-packed and addressed to you, in the lot of bronzes that I sent by freight to Los Angeles. I can now report that your Imperial Capital together with the other things that I have got for you have been safely sent, and I enclose documents and photographs herewith.
Your crystal was mortgaged for $1200 and with interest he came to $1600. The bronze you paid for while here. I mean the important one. You asked me to be on the look-out for a painting, a roll, black-and-white on paper, well-attended []. I commissioned with my good man man, but so far nothing has turned up. If you have cash to spend, now is the time, for you get Mex 3.50 about for 1 gold. Of course, Chinese things are going up, but not so rapidly.
Not long ago, the crystal man told me he could get 3 fine pieces of crystal for $2400. I told him to buy them []. It was one vase, as tall as yours, one tripod with [], and one of Emperor Chien Lung’s official seals that he used when residing at the summer palace—all my [] things with inscriptions. I brought them at once for you and I am sure you will like them. There are inscriptions on all these and the translations will be sent you in due course of time, when the man who used to help me can find the time, he is too busy at present.
I have sent off almost another collection to Los Angeles, and have told them I intend to make them a gift of this and if they will [] at once—which I doubt they will, as money is scarce. Well, which getting things moody one of my good men brought along a pair of Yong-Cheng enamel [] []. The [] [] that I have come across and a splendid specimen of Yong-Cheng enamel-ware. I could not resist the temptation so bought them and having done so, came to the conclusion that one would be enough for Los Angeles, and that I would present the other to your museum, my dear Friend, so I have sent it with the crystals.
As I said above, these are all imperial things. While I remember it, there are in most crystals veins in the [], that others look like beaks As far as I understand it, a vein is generally feet, if on the surface, on one side only. A beak would be feet on feet on both sides. What you see on your crystals are veins, not breaks.
You sent me Mex $1702, if I remember rightly. I have paid out as follows:
One bronze bell $600
One crystal vase 1600
One crystal vase \
One “” tripod ----- 2400
“” Seal--------------/
I do not know exactly what Mr. Albert charges one, as he is in Tientsin, but we can say,
300
=
Mex 4.900
Pair -1702
=
Balance to me 3.198
I can correct it later, if wrong.
I shall send you the translations, as soon as the translator finds time.
End of transcript.
Transcribed by Tom Fischer.
Transcript:
Oct-19-1930
(All loving and true thoughts and wishes to you, my dear Friend, your good Friend, Normann Munthe)
Peking 19 October, 1930.
My dear Friend,
Your good and kind letter of Aug 23rd. has been before some time, but I have been working for you all along and did not want to write till I had got off what I was after. First of all, here’s my hand and a good handshake for your letter, I see the logic and sense in what you say, no doubt. I should [] by the [] for some time and in that time think of nothing else and a pride healthy would no doubt come. There is no reason, [] or otherwise why it should not come, but the [] daily-ceremony claims of [] seem to ground me here, and the only solution I can see is to get away from it entirely. God willing and approving, it is my idea to get away from here in April next year. That God will keep His hand over me till that time, I firmly believe, as He will not leave His work half-done. He has shown that he approves of my idea to take what I have with money and give it to charity. I made my testament to this effect early this year, so it must [] came true in Good and [] and every/ As I have told you before, once in America, I shall communicate with you a once and we shall do all we can in Christian Science together, and after that the Museum. Just as it pleases and suits you as I shall be my own master as regards the disposal of my time. I have numerous invitations invitations to come and stay with people, but I am not fond of staying with others in contradiction to my wife, who adores it. It suits my wife best to remain here while I go on leave, as she is writing the continuations of he history of China, and can do that best here./
Begin here
As I told you in my last letter, I enclosed your bronze, well-packed and addressed to you, in the lot of bronzes that I sent by freight to Los Angeles. I can now report that your Imperial Capital together with the other things that I have got for you have been safely sent, and I enclose documents and photographs herewith.
Your crystal was mortgaged for $1200 and with interest he came to $1600. The bronze you paid for while here. I mean the important one. You asked me to be on the look-out for a painting, a roll, black-and-white on paper, well-attended []. I commissioned with my good man man, but so far nothing has turned up. If you have cash to spend, now is the time, for you get Mex 3.50 about for 1 gold. Of course, Chinese things are going up, but not so rapidly.
Not long ago, the crystal man told me he could get 3 fine pieces of crystal for $2400. I told him to buy them []. It was one vase, as tall as yours, one tripod with [], and one of Emperor Chien Lung’s official seals that he used when residing at the summer palace—all my [] things with inscriptions. I brought them at once for you and I am sure you will like them. There are inscriptions on all these and the translations will be sent you in due course of time, when the man who used to help me can find the time, he is too busy at present.
I have sent off almost another collection to Los Angeles, and have told them I intend to make them a gift of this and if they will [] at once—which I doubt they will, as money is scarce. Well, which getting things moody one of my good men brought along a pair of Yong-Cheng enamel [] []. The [] [] that I have come across and a splendid specimen of Yong-Cheng enamel-ware. I could not resist the temptation so bought them and having done so, came to the conclusion that one would be enough for Los Angeles, and that I would present the other to your museum, my dear Friend, so I have sent it with the crystals.
As I said above, these are all imperial things. While I remember it, there are in most crystals veins in the [], that others look like beaks As far as I understand it, a vein is generally feet, if on the surface, on one side only. A beak would be feet on feet on both sides. What you see on your crystals are veins, not breaks.
You sent me Mex $1702, if I remember rightly. I have paid out as follows:
One bronze bell $600
One crystal vase 1600
One crystal vase \
One “” tripod ----- 2400
“” Seal--------------/
I do not know exactly what Mr. Albert charges one, as he is in Tientsin, but we can say,
300
=
Mex 4.900
Pair -1702
=
Balance to me 3.198
I can correct it later, if wrong.
I shall send you the translations, as soon as the translator finds time.
End of transcript.
Transcribed by Tom Fischer.
Source
Gertrude Bass Warner Papers, 1879-1954
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Institution
University of Oregon
Type
Text
Format
application/pdf
Rights
Rights Reserved - Free Access
Rights Holder
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives