Letter from Schaeffer to Nicolaou on various objects lent or deposited at Mainz for restorationClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

Handwritten: Dom-Scts. / 1974 signature flourish

Saint-Germain, 14 January 1974

Mr. K. NICOLAOU Curator of the Cyprus Museum NICOSIA Island of Cyprus

Dear Mr. Chief Curator,

I thank you for your letters of 4 July and 27 December 1973. - For the bronzes of Enkomi-Alasia, campaign 1965, we have been able, with the help of the photos kindly sent by you, to identify the places from which these objects come. But we cannot inventory them, for each piece would have to be re-examined, described and measured. This will therefore have to wait until the return of the Mission to Enkomi and to Nicosia. I will hand the photos to Mr. Lagarce before his departure. According to Mr. Courtois, various bronzes from the campaign of 1963 (18 pieces) were deposited in the Museum laboratory with a list, and we have not seen them again. I do not yet know whether Mr. K. has issued an excavation permit for this year to Mr. Peloh.

The sherds and some other objects which had been sent to Mainz for restoration or cleaning will be returned to you as soon as the notes necessary for publication have been taken. The most important of these objects: 20.252, 21.29 and 21.41 (mouse) have already been returned by Mainz and I will bring them to you at the next opportunity. Thank you for having extended the undertakings by one year.

I hope you have made known your desiderata to Mainz regarding the ingot god and the Salamis head which I left there on my return from Cyprus and Syria last November. As for the god, I think that the fine light-green patina should not be sacrificed at any price, even if one must give up seeing all the details for this. However, a qualitative analysis of the bronze (or copper) could be made, for a minute quantity of metal could be taken from under the base of the ingot or from the tenon.