Sir: There is a very simple solution to the problem
of the Elgin Marbles, if the British Government is prepared for a modest ex- penditure and a very small risk.
For centuries, literature has differed from other arts in that works were capable of infinite reproduction, with each copy no less valid than the original author's draft. Paintings and statues, by contrast, were not easily copied and so a unique value was re- tained by each original. Although this distinction is still accepted today, it is now both illogical and unnecessary, since modern techniques enable replicas of rare objects to be freely reproduced in cheap versions which are visually indistinguish- able from the originals. I suggest that we have a dozen exact replicas made of each of the Elgin Marbles and display these alongside the originals in the British Museum. Miss Melina Mercouri would then be invited to choose one of each group for repatriation to Greece, basing her choices entirely on their outward appear- ance. The only stipulation would be that this would be the end of the matter and that no further recriminations would be forth- coming if subsequent detailed examination showed any of her choices to be a replica.
Of course, if Miss Mercouri were to refuse this offer, then she could no longer logically claim the Marbles to be unique and her case for their repatriation would fail by default.
Patrick Abbott
Linden, Alhampton, Nr. Shepton Mallet, Somerset
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