Letter from Count Riesch to the Prince Consort thanking him for returning the Raphael drawing together with photographs of it, the glass plate negative and a photograph of the Raphael sketch of the same subject in the Royal Library in Windsor

Count Riesch acknowledges receipt of the Prince Consort's letter of 3rd February (see VIC/ADDA10/85/446, copy dated 8 February), together with the Count's mother's Raphael drawing, the fine photographs of it made in England, the glass plate negative and a photograph of the Raphael drawing of the same subject which is in the Royal Library in Windsor. He was surprised and delighted to receive these gifts, and thanks the Prince warmly for them.

He quotes a clever Englishwoman's description of Raphael as 'the poet of painting', and comments that Raphael's depiction of this affecting scene ('The Massacre of The Innocents') is much more powerful than other representations of the same scene such as that by Rubens, because death is shown as imminent, not present. He concludes by expressing his pleasure at the link with the Prince created by their shared interest in Raphael, and hopes to meet him and the Queen if he comes to England again.

Related Material: For related correspondence, see VIC/ADDA10/85/446.