Horace to Horace
Caroline Chapman delves into a wide-ranging and prolific correspondence, spanning half of the 18th century, between the British court diplomat to Florence, Horace Mann, and the historian and patron of the arts, Horace Walpole.
In 1740 Horace Mann was appointed as Britain’s representative at the court of Tuscany and took up residence at Casa Manetti in Florence. Lacking two of the principal requisites for employment as a diplomat in the 18th century – wealth and nobility – his post was almost certainly due to his family’s connection with Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first prime minister. Armed instead with charm, innate courtesy and a meticulous attention to detail, Mann (c.1706-86) proved himself to be a natural diplomat.
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