Sharing Omai

SIR – It will be ironic if the only way to keep Joshua Reynolds’s Portrait of Omai from leaving the UK for good is for the Getty Museum in California to come to Britain’s aid by jointly owning it (report, March 11): it was painted in 1776, the very year America declared its independence from Britain.

However, it will have welcome ramifications internationally, including shared ownership reflecting the masterpiece’s global significance, with the Getty’s proximity to Polynesia facilitating a long-overdue temporary display of the portrait in the region of Omai’s origin.

It will also show that, where the will exists, innovative, ground-breaking art ownership agreements can be made. Perhaps the Elgin Marbles will be next.

Peter Saunders

Salisbury, Wiltshire