Letter from Marvin Ross to Mildred Bliss, 1703 32nd Street, Washington 7, D.C., November 16, 1956 Digital
Scope and Contents
Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss reporting that as he was working on the catalogue of the Dumbarton Oaks [Byzantine] Collection, he discovered that the Riha and Stouma [Stuma] treasures were all one and the same and that the chalice from Aleppo [Syria] in the British Museum was part of this treasure.
Two things led Marvin to this conclusion 1) the liturgical fan from the Riha treasure acquired by her is obviously the mate (they came in pairs) to the fan in the Stouma [Stuma] treasure; 2) Prof[essor Ernst] Kitzinger gave him a copy of a letter written by Gertrude Bell from Aleppo saying the Riha Paten had been found with seven other pieces. He goes on to say that Father Mouterde wrote him from Beyrouil that the chalice in the British Museum had been seen in Aleppo in 1910, the time the Riha and Touman pieces were there.
Marvin tells Mildred that he has found a new method of studying these Syrian treasures of Byantine silver and that usually they were given by members of one family. By applying his new method to the Riha-Stouma [Stuma] treasure, he found that it proved his theory definitely. He encloses a diagram of how it works (the two fans and one Paten in Constantinople have no inscriptions) for Mildred to see. He intends to read his paper at the next College Art Association meeting.
The diagram includes 5 objects: 1) Tyler chalice; 2) British Museum chalice; 3) Riha Paten with Communion of Apostles; 4) Stouma [Stuma] Paten with Communion of Apostles; 5) Stouma [Stuma] Paten with cross.
Dates
- Creation: November 16, 1956
Creator
- Ross, Marvin C. (Marvin Chauncey), 1904-1977 (Correspondent, Person)
Language of Materials
Materials chiefly in English with a few items in Greek, Latin, French, Italian, or Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
An appointment is required for access to these papers. To request an appointment, fill out the online form: http://www.doaks.org/research/library-archives/access-and-hours/schedule-an-appointment.
For research queries, contact the staff of Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (library@doaks.org).
Extent
23 boxes (Approximately 2632 items including correspondence, expense reports, invoices, estimates, deposit records, book lists, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and plant lists.)Creator
- Ross, Marvin C. (Marvin Chauncey), 1904-1977 (Correspondent, Person)
Subject
- Bliss, Mildred Barnes, 1879-1969 (Recipient, Person)
- Bell, Gertrude Lowthian, 1868-1926 (Person)
- Kitzinger, Ernst, 1912-2003 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Dumbarton Oaks Repository
Dumbarton Oaks holds archival collections in its Rare Book Collection, Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives, and the Dumbarton Oaks Archives. The collections include: the papers of noteworthy scholars in the three fields that Dumbarton Oaks supports (Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape); image collections depicting objects or sites of topical interest to scholars in the three fields; Beatrix Farrand’s personal archive of letters and original drawings that document the development of the Dumbarton Oaks Garden; and institutional records and architectural plans and drawings documenting the history of Dumbarton Oaks. For more information about hours and to make an appointment to consult any of the collections listed here, please fill out the request form: https://www.doaks.org/research/library-archives/schedule-an-appointment