Acquisition file

Correspondence between David Carritt of Christies and Martin Davies concerning the potential acquisition of the picture, its possible provenance, its condition and the decision to clean the picture at the National Gallery. Carritt suggests a price of £800,000 for the picture in a letter dated 26 June 1970, in which he also gives the Gallery permission to go ahead with the cleaning. Discussion of the rates of estate duty likely to be applied to the picture; note to the Trustees concerning the picture and its various merits dated 1 October 1970 presented at Board meeting; letter from Davies to William Moystyn-Owen on 2 October 1970 confirming that the Trustees would be interested in acquiring the picture and asking for confirmation of what the picture would cost the Gallery after the inclusion of estate duty, picture valued at £800,000 rest of estate valued at £246,000; correspondence addressing the question of how much estate duty should be paid with calculations; provenance details; press releases from Christies and the National Gallery regarding the acquisition. Correspondence regarding an article in Time magazine reporting the acquisition.