"Monument’s Men 1815." Topic

"This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first organised art reclamation operation in history. It was conducted by the individual nations then occupying Paris in 1815 after the Battle of Waterloo, and on behalf of others. I have chosen to tell it through the eyes of the Spanish effort.
General Miguel Alava was a remarkable man, who had served with distinction first against Britain at Trafalgar and then alongside his old enemies during the liberation of Spain, becoming Wellington's closest Spanish friend. At Salamanca in 1812, Alava had been on the scene when Wellington had declared in French "Mon Cher Alava, Marmont est perdu!". As the army was battling across the Pyrenees he had the misfortune of being shot in the rump, when news reached Wellington he burst into one of his distinctive laugh's and immediately felt a spent bullet break his scabbard and hit his leg. Alava later acidly commented that it was because he laughed at his own mishap. On the day news arrived that Napoleon had abdicated Alava had stood at the table, raised his glass and offered the toast "El liberator de España"

His exploits didn't end there, after Waterloo, (where he had accompanied the Duke throughout the day and passed messages for him) Alava was instructed by Ferdinand VII to recover looted Spanish art treasures held in the Louvre. Alava accordingly coordinated with the Spanish ambassador the Duque de Fernan Nunez, and had an audience with Louis XVIII, who fatally gave what he doubtless considered a diplomatic reply, but which Alava construed to mean "I won't stop you". The treasure in question was almost legendary in its scale, looted by successive marshal's of France, most principally Soult. Thousands upon thousands of cartloads were sent across the Pyrenees during over six years of French occupation, looted from Churches and palaces. They were mostly Dutch and Italian masters, for Spanish art was virtually unknown before the French saw them and selected choice works, such as Velasquez and others like the 5 Murillo's to be taken back to France. In this sense their theft introduced these great artists to Europe, however that didn't mean the Spanish wanted them to stay in Paris…"
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