Copy letter from Charles Ruland to J.D. Passavant sending photographs of the Raphael Cartoons ordered by Passavant, and photographs of eight other works by Raphael which the Prince Consort has recently had taken for his collection.

Ruland announces that he has just sent a parcel of photographs to Professor Passavant, and apologises for the delay since he last wrote. The package contains the 7 photographs of the Raphael Cartoons in the second size and 3 studies of heads from them, as ordered by Passavant. The fourth head cannot be supplied as the glass plate negative is broken. Ruland has paid the South Kensington Museum for the photographs and encloses the bill. In addition, Ruland has included prints of eight other photographs that the Prince Consort has had taken recently for his collection, and he lists them: 1. St George conquering the dragon, from the painting in St Petersburg. 2. Sketch for the Gathering of the Manna, from a drawing in Copenhagen attributed to Raphael. 3. 'Venus in the niche' and study for a St John, from a sheet belonging to Don José de Madrazo. 4. Sketch for a St Cecilia, from a drawing owned by William Russell, which is on very rough, dark red ground paper with white highlights; the photograph does not do justice to the beautiful expressions of the heads. 5. Judas, from another drawing belonging to Mr Russell. It is related to the Last Supper at San Onofrio, to which it corresponds exactly, and it is certainly a 16th century work. On the mount it is ascribed to Cosimo Roselli, in a later hand. The original lines can be seen clearly in the figure seated behind Judas, but they are very faded and what little white remains is rather blackened. The Judas figure has been carefully overdrawn and renewed. 6. A sketch for the Vices shooting at a target, also in Mr Russell's collection. In Ruland's volume of drawings, which was bought in about 1770 in Rome and now belongs to the Royal Library, Ruland has recently found a second example of the whole drawing, very beautifully drawn, and if it is a copy after the original, which is also in Windsor, it is the best that exists. The Prince was very surprised at this find. Ruland adds that this example is rather more complete, being almost 2 inches longer and wider. 7 & 8. Picture of 'Martyrs', in the possession of Mr Stuart of Aldenham Abbey. Ruland wonders if this is the painting described by W. Buchanan (on p. 327, Vol. II of the French edition) which has since disappeared. One of the photographs he has sent is 'as is'; the other has been retouched. Ruland adds that he is expecting photographs of the Raphael drawings in the Teyler Museum in Haarlem and those in Lille. This will be an important addition to the collection, which grows from day to day. He reports that the printing (of photographs) is now proceeding more regularly at the South Kensington Museum, and the chances of getting an order fulfilled are improving. He wishes to add one further remark and question [the letter ends here]. The copy letter is evidently not complete. W. Buchanan is presumably William Buchanan, author of Memoirs of Painting, 1824.