The characters in this book are inspired by many whom I have met or read about or simply hope might exist. Any likenesses are entirely accidental or intentionally complimentary. Various public personas and institutions appear as themselves, as it would be hard to imagine an art world, real or fictional, without them.
I have been lucky enough to learn from distinguished scholars and also from the directors, conservators, curators and trustees at the National Gallery, the Tate, the Wallace Collection and Waddesdon Manor. These institutions and their luminaries have provided a lifelong source of solace and inspiration.
Thank you also to Catherine Goodman for the writing room and for her insights about painters and painting.
Sarah Chalfant, agent extraordinaire, spotted this book’s potential and guided it to the distinguished homes of the peerless Alexandra Pringle and the priceless Shelley Wanger. Thank you to everyone who sails with the Wylie Agency, Bloomsbury and Knopf and to Sonny Mehta, Nigel Newton, Alba Ziegler-Bailey, Charles Buchan, Alexa von Hirschberg and Anna Simpson.
A particular debt of gratitude goes to my family, friends and colleagues for their support, humour and patience; to the careful readers, Jacob and Serena Rothschild, Fiona Golfar, Justine Picardie, Philip Astor, Stephen Frears, Rosie Boycott and the SP. Last and by no means least, thank you to Emmy.