L30/18/51/1

From St. Aubin, London to 2nd Earl de Grey:

22 Jun 1837

From: 1837 To: 1837

[Text in French]. Provides an extract from a letter from Mr Salandrouze, in response to Grey’s commission to manufacture tapestries, for decoration at Wrest Park. Salandrouze can supply the tapestries, however at an increased price, as silk shades are required for the windows to light the tapestries. The increase would be £15 per piece, totalling a sum of £80 for each. The total estimate is £630, including each tapestry, shades and designs. St. Aubin requests a response to the estimate tomorrow. [Copy of translated letter: From: R. de St. Aubin To: Thomas Philip Robinson, 3rd Baron Grantham, 2nd Earl de Grey. Monsieur le Comte. I hasten to show you an extract of the letter I have received on the instant from my house, in response to the diverse changes and diverse observations I made to him on your behalf about the ordered tapestries. Mr Sallandrouze advises me: “I have studied all the plans, all the designs with great care, and all the observations made will be exactly followed. There is one however that I cannot submit to. It is the manner of lighting each tapestry, by the light from the windows. Frequently we have made experiments of this sort and it has never been successful, consider the fine effect of all these windows when the hall is lit in the evening. It would no longer be possible to the tapestries. We will therefore make the light come from above, from the centre. The general effect will benefit from it. You can therefore announce to the Count that he can rely on me for the most perfect execution of his order, and even say to him that at this moment the “warps are being set on the rollers” and the enlargement of the designs has begun. The style of the ornament will be analogous with the Epoch etc., etc. There are however new obligations imposed by your letter, thus it was clearly understood at first that all these pieces were similar, now all the flowers and birds must be altered. Therefore as many enlargements as pieces must be made and that is quite a heavy expenditure on which I had not counted, then I think also, and you may make the observation to the Count, that it would be good, in order to give more relief to the tapestries, as was practised in the appointed epoch; under shades of the flowers and birds in silk, which would give an excellent effect, but would be more costly in the making. For all that, that is to say to change all the designs and make large shades in silk, I would ask for an increase of £15 sterling a piece which would get a price of £80 each instead of £65 initially agreed. These changes would provide an extremely beautiful result, and this increase reduced to the lowest possible does not seem to me to be sufficiently major to stop the Count. The pieces above the doors, all different, and the silks shades will be £35 sterling for each: The new detail will therefore be thus: 6 large pieces @ £80 £480 4 “door pieces” £35 £140 Cost of drawing of the 1st detail £10 Total £630 Do your utmost to bring about this matter to a prompt conclusion. I am leaving for the workshop in a few days, I want very much to have your reply before my departure”. I beg you, Count, to have the goodness to examine that which goes before. I will do myself the honour of going to take your orders tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I have that [the honour] of being very respectfully, Count, your very humble and obedient servant. St. Aubin].

item

Salandrouze,
Aubin

Wrest Park, tapestry