Box H

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Correpondence including letters, picture postcards, photographs from Marvin C. Ross to Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Bliss discussing Byzantine antiquities and cameos held in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection. The bulk of the correspondence is directed to Mildred Bliss. Also included is a newsclipping of Guggenheim awardees in which Marvin C. Ross is mentioned.

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss. He says he has heard from Isabel Denison that Mildred has a cold. He tells Mildred to take care of herself and get over it quickly as "we need you always."He tells Mildred that Miss Der Nersessian feels it is unwise to send the information on the Dumbarton Oaks catalogue to Holinlose[?] in view of what happened about Deurus[?]. He feels the catalogue of your [Dumbarton Oaks] collection should be the best possible and not to...

Scope and Contents: Typescript letter with handwritten signature from Virginia Lewis, faculty at the Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Marvin C. Ross at Dumbarton Oaks informing him that Walter [Walter Read Hovey], head of the Fine Arts Department is in Sante Fe, [New Mexico] and will be back about October 25th. His plans after that, so far as she can gather, are to be in Pittsburgh for two weeks then go to London. She thinks he still wants to travel, but is not...

Scope and Contents: Newspaper clipping probably from a Washington, D.C. area newspaper titled "Ten Persons in Area Receive Guggenheim Fellowship Awards." Written at the top in pencil: April [?]. Clipping possibly from 1952 highlighted the selection of Marvin C. Ross, curator, Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, for a study of the American soldier and painter, Gen[eral] Seth Eastman. Marvin C. Ross received Guggenheim fellowship awards in 1938, 1939, 1948, 1952. Marvin C. Ross later created the Catalogue of...

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A handwritten note and 15 black and white photographs from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss of 8 glass cameos in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection.

Scope and Contents: One postcard with handwritten message from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss with VIII Congresso Internazionale di Studi Bizantini, Palermo 3-10 Aprile 1951 written on front and "Rome" written in upper right on back. Marvin tells Mildred that the trip has been perfectly magnificent. The Congress at Palermo was successful and people loved your beautiful bracelets with the gems. Rome seems more fascinating than ever. He reports the new Madonna (IV-VII?) is very impressive indeed and the newly...

Scope and Contents: Six postcards sent from Marvin C. Ross to Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Bliss discussing his travels to Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Czechoslovakia.Postcard #1 postmarked August 12, 1957: front side only addressed to Honorable Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, France, but sent on to Hotel Ambassador, Vienne, Autriche [Vienna, Austria]. Postcard sent on expedited by Morgan and Cie, incorporated, [Vend]ome 14, Place, Vendome, Paris (1er); par avion. Marvin used Russian stamps and...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss that is was wonderful for her to show her beautiful cameo to Dr. Marie-Louise Vollenweider. He hesitated calling Mildred, but remembered how disappointed he had been after travelling a long distance and not being able to see something. He tells her she lived up to her high standard and were perfectly marvelous.He says the afternoon was so exciting because Dr. Vollenweider was the first person to come here recently and...

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Handwritten note from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss telling her the [Dumbarton Oaks] gardens have been more beautiful than ever. What a joy Mildred has given to so many of people.

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss offering a brief summary of his iedeas on the Byzantine glass cameos of the XI-XIII centuries. Three came from Constantinople and two have Byzantine settings that make the Dumbarton Oaks Collection of considerable importance in the future study of these glass paste cameos. The other glass paste in D.O. [Dumbarton Oaks] is probably VII century and is not concerned here. He tells her the Dumbarton Oaks group of paste (Byzantine) is the...

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Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Robert and Mildred Bliss telling them he is so excited to hear what they found in Switzerland and whether you were able to do anything with Juritsky. He reports that three days in London were important for the catalogue as well as the enamel and future plans.

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss reports that Mr. Wittig, a publisher from Hamburg wants to do a picture book about Mount Athos and asked if I would be willing to do the introduction and captions. Mr. Wittig had the most beautiful pictures imaginable made by a Benedictine monk who went there. They looked at other books on Mount Athos at Dumbarton Oaks and the pictures were all wretched in comparison.Not only were Wittig's photographs of the landscape and...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss reporting that he has just written an entry for the Catalogue on the red jasper cameo with the Gorgon's [Medusa] head. He feels it is a fascinating object and needs more attention some day. He informs Mildred that the Gorgon's head became a great favorite for amulets and other ways. He says it was the idea of making an ugly face that would scare away a bad man and continued in use long into the Christian era. On the leaf of a Consular...

Scope and Contents: Typescript letter on professional letterhead from Marvin C. Ross to Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Bliss telling them that he wanted to tell them something after his return from Europe and Istanbul, but only saw them for a brief moment. He says he was so impressed everywhere he went with the growing importance of Dumbarton Oaks. It was talked about by those he saw in the field of Byzantine studies, collectors, museum curators, govenment officials as well as research people of all kinds....

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss telling her that his paper on the Riha-Stouma treasure read at the annual meeting of the College Art Association seemed to go over alright. He intends to write it up more formally for publication.He reports that the Strzygowski, Byzantine gold medallion at Dumbarton Oaks was struck and not cast. He lists the reasons why this is important, 1) It was doubtless struck in the imperial mint; 2) It was an issue, not a singleton by...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss and Robert Woods Bliss telling them that Jack [John Thacher, Director of Dumbarton Oaks] has told him the perfectly wonderful news about the trip to Russia. He wanted to thank them in person but I am so excited about it that I could not trust myself to speak coherently. He thanks both of them "from the bottom of my heart."He says that finishing the work on Byzantine enamels will be the culmination of a life's ambition. The...

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Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred and Robert Bliss wishing them a "happy Dumbarton Oaks Founder's Day". He tells them they were very clever to buy the paste cameo of St. Theophano. He says that aside from being beautiful, it [cameo] helps to resolve an important question about the origin of such objects. He reports that he has found only one other bronze lamp similar to the one they gave to the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, and it is in the British Museum.

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...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten note from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss and sending his recently published article titled "A tenth century Byzantine glass lamp" published in Archaeology, volume 10, issue 1, 1957. Marvin tells Mildred the Byzantines were practical in their daily life. "A scholar could lower his lamp for reading or raise it for diffused light!"The article highlights a tenth century Byzantine glass lamp acquired in 1946 for the Dumbarton Oaks Collection "from a dealer who stated that...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss reporting that her enamal of St. Demetrius is pure joy to him. He thinks it is one of the most beautiful things in the world! He tells Mildred that she and her husband, Robert Woods Bliss are conoiseurs and how wonderful of them to have brought such an exquisite thing to America. Mildred's ears must have been burning recently as so many fine things have been said about you and Dumbarton Oaks by visitors, Mary Churchill Humphrey from...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss telling her the story of the boy and the violin was beautiful and delightful. He says her luncheon on Saturday (May 4, 1057?) was like being in a fairy land because the garden was so charming.Jack [John Thacher, Director of Dumbarton Oaks] asked Marvin to come in on Sunday morning (May 5, 1957) and talk with people about Mildred's Byzantine collection. The men were fascinated with the collection and charmed with the...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to C. Isabel Denison (Keeper of the Founders' Room at Dumbarton Oaks) offering the French designs for garden vases for her reference library. He bought them for study purposes and found them useful at the time. He suggests they could be put in vanila envelopes in the reference room for students to use. He says these designs were actually used, the Walters Art Gallery own a pair in marble after one of the Pelitot? designs. Designs no longer with...

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Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss telling her Mrs. E.V. Stande from Los Angeles was at Dumbarton Oaks. Marvin and his wife, Lotus took her through the Collection and gardens. "She was quite carried away." He reports Virginia Lewis of the University of Pittsburgh wanted to see the library and gardens. She was enchanted with the gardens and bowled over by the library on Byzantine art.

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss giving her a progress report. Marvin writes that after applying for a Russian visa he received only one for 25 days, and had to travel with a group. He has asked for two months and to go alone. The local agency that handles tourists for Intourist tells him that he will get the two month visa, but he must be patient. He says he has waited since 1939 to go back and finish his project and finds it hard to be patient.While...

Scope and Contents: Handwritten letter from Marvin C. Ross to Mildred Bliss and Robert Woods Bliss to inform them of the latest developments on the eve of their departure. He reports the local tourist agency called him to say they had received a cable from Moscow, "sent letter June 22 concerning Ross." When the letter gets to him, he will know his fate. The last letter from the Hermitage took 16 days and the last letter the tourist agency got from Moscow took 28 days.If [Etienne] Coche de la Ferte...