Csornay Boldizsár - Dobos Zsuzsa - Varga Ágota - Zakariás János szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 97. (Budapest, 2002)
NÉMETH, ISTVÁN: A Generous Gift or a Healthy Compromise? Some Contributions to the Background of the Donation of a Painting by El Greco
to be valued at 5 million crowns in the month of July in the current year. Considering the average rate of export duties to be about 15 per cent, this 5 million crowns would correspond to the export duties payable on the exportation of pieces of 35 million crowns value. Nevertheless, there can not be found such a magnifier estimator who would value the paintings and sculptures that Nemes intends to export at so much high, which means that he would pay off far more than the amount of the official dues even if he would not pay anything in cash. (It is true that it will not be received by the Treasury, but I believe that there has to be some kind of understanding and compensation among the various competences.) Nevertheless, Nemes will pay off the export duties to be charged after the paintings and sculptures valued at a total of 4 million crowns (16,000,000 at current prices). And, as the Hungarian national currency has been devaluated by ca. 50 per cent since July, I suppose that, if the Ministry of Finance would insist on it, it would be possible to take this exchange rate change into account and markup the valuations by the corresponding percentage - nevertheless, I personally would feel it unjust, knowing that it was not Mr Nemes 'fault that no steps has been taken yet concerning his application that had been received in July. Let me make a final remark at last. In my respectful opinion, the coincidence that the government at the moment intends to bring the ban on exports under parliamentary regulation has no bearing on the current case at all, since the statutory prohibition would rather relieve the present situation when the governmental decree entitles us to ban the exportation of virtually anything at our personal discretion or to subject it to arbitrary conditions. Right Honourable Mr Minister, it may be clear from the above that I was not governed exclusively by the aim to augment the collections of the museum when making the above outlined decision but 1 have carefully weighed all the cultural and financial aspects of the case. And when 1 am taking the liberty of applying for Your Excellency's approval, I do not act so because I feel obliged by the preceding events but because I am convinced that, knowing both the man and the case, I am putting forward what is the only proper solution. I am, Sir, Yours very truly, Right Honourable Mr Minister Budapest, Octobers, 1921. remaining your most obedient servant, The Director of The National Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts " The above letter by Elek Petrovics at last explicitly reveals that the accession of The Penitent Magdalen to the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1921 was not merely a result of a generous Maecenan act, but, quite possibly, formed the basic part of
