When Martin Clay decamps himself with his
wife and baby to their country cottage for the summer his expectation is for
peace and tranquillity in which to finish his book on 15th century
Netherlandish Art. What he gets is an unexpected invite from the Lord of the
(impoverished) Manor to dinner, where first his advice, and then his assistance,
is sought to “shift” some art.
Initially reluctant and sceptical, Martin’s
interest grows when he realises one of the “makeweight” pieces could possibly
be much more valuable than the monstrosity he is engaged to sell on. Is this an
opportunity to make his name and his fortune?
As a philosopher by trade, Martin is well
placed to articulate and indeed navigate the moral maze created by his
potential lucrative liberation of the masterpiece and complicated by the
flattering if un-looked for attentions of the attractive and vulnerable Lady of
the Manor.
There are considerable risks involved in his
scheme and meticulous research is needed to validate the find. So we learn more
than we ever thought we would need to know about Peter Bruegal, the Netherlands
(of which there were 17) and their repression by the Spanish in the 16th
century. But this is provided in bite size portions interspersed within the on-going,
headlong rush of events that progressively slip out of Martin’s control.
Frayn is a good writer, articulate and well
able to make the art-history both interesting and authentic. He also has a
talent for both ironic humour and farce which keep the pages merrily turning.
So much so that it is only after finishing the book that his other talent, for
subtly connecting themes (in this case by baler twine), seeps satisfyingly into
your consciousness.
To sum up – art, history, crime, love,
humour, but above all morality; what’s not to like?
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