London,
October 1815
Private & Confidential
Delivered by hand
My Dear McLedger,
It has been some years since I troubled you with a letter, though I suspect you have spent at least part of that time explaining to respectable people why their accounts refuse to agree with reality.
I remain grateful for your assistance during my own difficulties. Had those gentlemen in Plymouth not proved willing purchasers, I might well have found myself painting creditors rather than history.
The reason for my writing is a curious one.
A gentleman by the name of Antonio Canova is expected in London shortly.
You will know the name.
Europe certainly does.
His arrival has caused no small amount of discussion amongst artists, collectors, noblemen, politicians, and several others who suddenly claim a deep interest in matters they previously ignored.
I have already had occasion to make his acquaintance and expect to see more of him during his stay.
Officially he comes to inspect the marbles brought from Athens.
Unofficially, I suspect his business extends rather further.
There is much talk of objects displaced during the late wars.
Paintings.
Sculptures.
Collections.
Entire rooms of history moved from one country to another and now being argued over by men who believe ownership and possession to be the same thing.
The matter has grown considerably larger than art.
Which is precisely why I thought of you.
You have always possessed a talent for understanding how things move, who profits from their movement, and why certain records become difficult to locate when money is involved.
Should you find yourself inclined toward London, I believe there are introductions I can make which may prove of interest to yourself and your companions.
At the very least, it would be good to see a familiar face from Plymouth again.
At the very most, I suspect we may find ourselves standing at the beginning of a rather larger story.
Your friend,
Benjamin Robert Haydon
18 Great Portland Street
Marylebone
London
