Autograph letter signed by artist Sir William Beechey Elgin Marbles 1826

BEECHEY, Sir William (1753–1839). Autograph letter signed to J. W. Smith, British Museum about the Elgin Marbles.
Dated Feb 20th 1826.
 
1 sheet folded (bifolium), written on the first page only; light horizontal folds, minor creasing, otherwise very good.
 
Beechey writes on behalf of a Mr. Fisher, who wishes to draw from the Marbles in the British Museum. He states that he does not understand to whom a letter of recommendation should be addressed and asks Smith to “have the goodness to put me in the way of it.” 
 
Sir William Beechey was a prominent portrait painter of the late Georgian period, elected a Royal Academician in 1798 and knighted in 1798 following the success of his large equestrian portrait of George III reviewing the troops. He painted members of the royal family and leading figures of the period, and was closely associated with the artistic establishment of his day.
 
The present letter concerns access to the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum only a decade after their acquisition by the nation (1816).