Buchanan, William: Memoirs of painting: with a chronological history of the importation of pictures by the great masters into England since the French Revolution (Band 2) (London: Ackermann, 1824)

MR. BUCHANAN’S IMPORTATIONS. 105

I am at a loss. On reading your instructions, I
am strongly inclined to risk a few hundreds to
procure the fine Rubens, as your object at present
seems to be as much to produce capital works as
to secure a great profit. This picture ought to be
worth £3000 when compared with the prices of
other pictures lately sold in London ; yet there is
a risk attending these matters,—and the sum is
great. My best way will be to wait further in-
structions, and still I should like to receive and
pack it up myself. In this dilemma you must
send me immediate instructions, and in the mean
time I shall see whatever else can be procured in
other places between this and Rome. Could I
find a picture equally valuable by some other
master, I should, perhaps, give it the preference
for the sake of variety: but for this there would
still be a handsome sum left. From what I have
learnt since writing the first part of this letter,
the pretensions for the other collection are fully as
high, and it might be better to have one Capital
Piece at present, and leave the others for a future
occasion. My chief inducement to attempt the
purchase of the other collection is the Guido,
which, as far as I could judge, is very capital, and
would give more variety. To-morrow, or next
day, I shall again visit both, and fix more pre-