Thomas Cole painting and the Seward House Museum

[Linda Anderson]

From auburnpub.com:

"The great-great grandson of former Secretary of State William H. Seward has filed a petition seeking to prevent the Fred L. Emerson Foundation from selling a valuable painting that was removed from the Seward House Museum in Auburn.

"The petition filed by Ray Messenger, who was appointed by Cayuga County Surrogate's Court Judge Thomas Leone to serve as an administrator of the Seward estate, asks the court for a permanent injunction against the Emerson Foundation to prevent the sale of Thomas Cole's "Portage Falls on the Genesee." Messenger also seeks an order forcing the foundation to return the painting, which is valued at $18 million, to the Seward House Museum and another order that would require the foundation to continue its support of the museum.

"One of the exhibits filed with the petition is a letter from Jason Lilien, head of the state attorney general's charities bureau, to Emerson Foundation president Anthony Franceschelli. In the letter, Lilien says they have "serious concerns" about plans to sell the painting.

"Our office has carefully reviewed [William H. Seward III's will] and believes a sale of the painting would be inconsistent with its terms," Lilien wrote."

http://auburnpub.com/news/local/seward-d...167d1.html