Item 56 - Letter from Bernard Berenson to R. C. Trevelyan

The Stafford, Washington Place, Baltimore. - Received Trevy's "New Parsifal" a few days ago; 'delighted to find that it read as well as it sounded'. Is asking 'the excellent [James Stoddart?] Bain' to send some friends copies. Returning to Europe in three weeks, but will not stop in England as it is 'so late in the season' and he is eager to get back to Settignano; looks forward to seeing Trevy in July. They have had a 'very delightful time' here, which has not been 'unprofitable'. Regarding art, the US is 'very de-provincializing': 'endless rubbish', but also ''some of the greatest works of art in existence', with both 'belong[ing] to all ages and climes'. Their most 'overwhelming experience' was seeing Chinese painting at Detroit, which he cannot find the language to describe. If he were thirty instead of almost fifty, he would 'give up everything and learn Chinese', but must instead be 'contented with mere contemplation'.