Never a man overburdened by modesty, during his stay in Davos, Gordon Brown compared himself to Titian, the Venetian painter, when he was 90 years old. The parallel? By that age, the 16th-century master was long-established, but felt he was still learning his craft. David Cameron, the UK Conservative leader, tried to score a cheap point this week by claiming Mr Brown might have been like Titian at 90 – but the maestro had died at the age of 86.

All we know with certainty is that Titian died in 1576. His birth date is unknown. He may have been over, or under, 90 years old when he finally kicked the paint can. But one of Mr Cameron’s apparatchiks decided to settle the argument.