The ambitions that are thwarted in this novel by John O'Loughlin's are less those of the artist, Robert Harding, than of his ostensible professional benefactor, Henry Grace, whose patronage and advice is not without strings or consequences. Although less successful on narrative terms than some of the author's other comic novels, this work is nonetheless sufficiently knowledgeable of art - and modern art most especially - and of what motivates its characters as to be an enjoyable read.