The Buccaneers

Throughout the novel, art and books play a significant role in the culture of the characters, and Miss Testvalley has a strong influence on this dynamic. In her role as governess, she infuses her charges with an admiration for literature, as book learning represents the difference between an educated young woman and just another rich daughter of a wealthy American businessman. Nan is particularly enthused by her governess’s fondness for art and books because she sees literature as an essential part of life. As the younger daughter, she often feels overshadowed by Virginia, and books provide her with a way to escape her world’s social pressures and to distinguish herself from her more attractive sister. When they both visit Sir Helmsley, for example, he remarks endlessly about Virginia’s appearance but compliments Nan’s sincere interest in history, culture, and art.

For the British aristocracy, art is often regarded as something that is simply lying around the house. Many of the large family homes are filled with valuable heirlooms that have been passed down across the generations. In the era in which the book is set, many of these aristocrats, such as Sir Helmsley have fallen on hard times and have been forced to sell their artwork to remain afloat. Notably, Sir Helmsley is still ashamed of himself for selling a work by the famous painter Titian, whose works in the modern era can sell for hundreds of millions of dollars. He then clings to a painting by Holbein, showing a sentimental attachment to it because to sell it would force him to acknowledge that he has no choice but to sell his heirlooms to solve his financial difficulties. The collections of the great houses are a demonstration of wealth, history, and status, and the much-diminished aristocrats strive to cling to their art even as the financial realities of their world become increasingly unavoidable.

Art is not limited to the elite, however, as Miss Testvalley’s cousin, Rosetti, is a famous painter in his own right. Sir Helmsley is a fan of Rosetti and grows intrigued by Miss Testvalley’s relationship with him. This keen interest turns into a business relationship as he becomes one of many painters who helps to create a production line for Rosetti’s work. Rosetti recruits other painters to provide sketches or even complete whole canvasses, to which he then applies the finishing touches before selling them at full price. This scheme relies on Rosetti’s fame as an artist but also on the clients’ lack of knowledge about art. Rosetti is able to sell what nearly amounts to counterfeit pieces because the aristocrats who purchase his work are only interested in the art as a status symbol.