[James Henry Savory, photographer and caver.] Typed Letter Signed ('James H. Savory') to 'Mr. Langsford', regarding E. W. Savory's collection of Italian 'ancient Marbles', with a manuscript article on the same subject by 'Caleb White'.

ONE: Savory's letter. 1p., 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. He begins by stating that he has 'now heard that the whole of the specimens which have been prepared are at Messrs Arthur Lee & Bros., Hayes. As I told you before Mr. John A. Marshall, the Architect of the new Westminster Cathedral and the authority on the subject of ancient Marbles, is very interested in this collection, and may of the specimens which are there have been prepared at his desire to illustrate a lecture which he is giving before a Society of Architects.' Those 'anxious to get something entirely unique in house decoration' should find this a 'special opportunity, as it is quite certain that there is no other such collection in the United Kingdom'. He is enclosing 'a few notes which have been written with respect to them [i.e. Item Two, below]'. He concludes by stating that if Langsford can find a buyer, he would be pleased to arrange satisfactory terms. John A. Marshall, 'of Bentley's office', was responsible for the interior fitting out of Westminster Cathedral, but it is not known whether he acquired the Savory collection. TWO: Manuscript titled 'Ancient Marbles', and signed at end 'Caleb White | July 1910'. 3pp., 4to. In fair condition, on aged paper, with some damage to the inner margin of the three leaves After a brief introduction regarding 'Collections of Marble used in Ancient Rome' the piece turns to what it claims is 'perhaps however the most unique & most interesting (of which a description has never before been published) [...] the Collection brought some time before into this Country by Mr. E. W. Savory the well known Art Dealer & Connoisseur who came across them whilst hunting for Art Treasures in the Ancient City. He found them stowed out of sight in the yard of a stone cutter (scarpellino) where they had probably been for years, perhaps collected centuries ago when such things were more easily obtained & handed down from father to son'. The collection is said to consist of 'actual pieces of ancient work being portions of carved & fluted columns, mlded doorways <?> & enriched caps & pavements all of which shew the ancient workmanship & which may have at one timem adorned the palace of an Emperor [...] Amongst the pieces of green & purple porphyry are fair sized lumps in the rough state apparently exactly as they were brought from Egyypt & Greecec by the Romans'. Also present are 'pieces of heavy serpentine called Pietra nefritica (a kidney) being in the form of a flattened sphere or a large round loaf'. White remains unidentified.