"Arriviste" vs. "charlatan" …

… My Dear BB… : The Letters of Bernard Berenson and Kenneth Clark review | Books | The Guardian. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Berenson, now “my dear BB” to his ambitious new assistant, found himself working with a young man who was, if possible, a snootier and more autocratic perfectionist than himself. Clark, who had to earn his living as an art historian in London, and was often away from I Tatti, certainly initiated and sustained their correspondence as the junior partner. But Berenson, reluctantly at first, and then with a slightly awkward warmth, joins in. When, in 1933, the 30-year-old Clark was appointed to run the National Gallery, it must have looked to Berenson as if his wager had paid off in spades. Intriguingly, both sides of this strange alliance kept a meticulous record of their exchanges.