Autograph letter, signed and dated from Cyprus, addressed to Nikolaos Karagiannis in Venice

The letter concerns commercial relations between the two men, but begins with Pieri's condolences on the death of Karagiannis' father, also Nikolaos Karagiannis, in February of 1734. The writer continues with information about products that have been sold, money owed and so on. The Karagiannis family originated in Epirus, but had been settled in Venice for many years, where they were active as merchants. They held a high position in the Greek community, and many documents connected with the family are held in the archives of the Greek Institute of Venice. The will of Nikolaos Karagiannis has been transcribed and translated by Konstantinos Mertzios. There is some question as to the correct name of the writer: Pieri Makariti or Makariti Pieri. He claims that the father Karagiannis was an old friend, so he was probably an older man than his correspondent. We have not been able to trace this name in an online search, but it may be that other of his letters have been preserved in the Greek Institute in Venice. However, it is possible that the writer was not a Cypriot, as he uses many Italian words transliterated into Greek in his letter. These may be clues to a foreign origin, or possibly to a familiar Cypriot usage of the time. The remains of the red wax seal on docket depict a bearded male head.