DUKE OF EDINBURGH GIVEN A PAIR OF BERMUDA SHORTS ON ISLAND TOUR

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH WAS PRESENTED WITH THE ULTIMATE ITEM OF TROPICAL CLOTHING RECENTLY, A PAIR OF BERMUDA SHORTS. WORN BY JUDGES, TOURISTS AND EVEN GROOMS ON THEIR WEDDING DAY, THEY ARE POPULAR NOT JUST ON THE ATLANTIC PARADISE ISLANDS BUT ACROSS THE WORLD. THE DUKE WAS GIVEN A PAIR OF BRIGHT GREEN SHORTS, WHICH ARE TRADITIONALLY WORN WITH KNEE LENGTH SOCKS, AND TEAMED WITH A JACKET AND TIE, A COMBINATION KNOWN AS A 'BERMUDA RIG'. DAVID HAMSHERE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE ENGLISH SPORTS SHOP, A CLOTHING SHOP REMINISCENT OF AN OLD FASHIONED MEN'S OUTFITTERS, MADE THE PRESENTATION WHEN THE QUEEN AND DUKE VISITED BERMUDA'S FORMER NAVAL DOCKYARD. THE DUKE GREETED THE GIFT, WHICH INCLUDED A PAIR OF BLUE SOCKS AND A BRIGHTLY COLOURED 'BERMUDA' TIE, WITH MUTED DELIGHT AND SAID HE WOULD NOT BE PUTTING THE SHORTS ON STRAIGHT AWAY. HAMSHERE, WHOSE OUTLET IS IN THE CAPITAL OF HAMILTON, TOLD HIM: 'YOU'LL DEFINITELY LOOK VERY ELEGANT IN THEM.' THE SHORTS WERE ORIGINALLY WORN BY THE BRITISH MILITARY TO KEEP COOL ON THE HOT AND HUMID ATLANTIC ISLANDS THAT ARE WARMED BY THE GULF STREAM, BUT WERE SOON ADOPTED AND ADAPTED BY THE LOCALS. HAMSHERE, WHO WAS BORN IN BOURNEMOUTH BUT EMIGRATED TO BERMUDA AS A YOUNG MAN, SAID LATER: 'BERMUDAN MEN ARE PEACOCKS AND ARE COMFORTABLE IN THEIR OWN SKINS AND ARE HAPPY IN THE BRIGHT COLOURS.' HIS BUSINESS SELLS AROUND 16,000 PAIRS OF SHORTS A YEAR FOR 55 BERMUDAN DOLLARS (£30), AND HAS THE MADE IN ARGENTINA FROM A LINEN AND SYNTHETIC FIBER MIX.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

CITY VIEW: PLYMOUTH, MA

MARGARET THATCHER RETURNS TO NO. 10 DOWNING TO UNVEIL PORTRAIT

FORMER PRIME MINISTER FOR BRITAIN, MARGARET THATCHER, RETURNED TO DOWNING STREET RECENTLY TO UNVEIL HER OWN OFFICIAL PORTRAIT, WHICH HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE PRIME MINISTER. THATCHER, PRIME MINISTER FROM 1979 TO 1990, JOINED CURRENT PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN AND DAVID CAMERON, A SUCCESSOR TO THACHER AS CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER, AT NO. 10 DOWNING STREET FOR THE UNVEILING. THE 84 YEAR OLD FORMER WORLD LEADER, NICKNAMED 'THE IRON LADY' FOR HER UNCOMPROMISING STANCE AGAINST THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, WAS GREETED BY BROWN AND A CLUTCH OF FORMER ADVISERS AS SHE ARRIVED AT HER FORMER HOME. A BROWN SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE PAINTING BY RICHARD STONE, WHO ALSO PRODUCED A PORTRAIT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II, IS ON DISPLAY IN THE FIRST FLOOR LOBBY. IT WAS PAID FOR BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR. 'THE PRIME MINISTER MADE A SHORT SPEECH IN WHICH HE THANKED BARONESS THATCHER FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS SHE MADE TO THE COUNTRY OVER MANY YEARS', THE SPOKESMAN SAID. THATCHER IS THE FIRST LIVING LAWMAKER IN THE MODERN ERA TO BE HONORED WITH A PAINTING AT DOWNING STREET. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL MODERN PRIME MINISTERS LINE THE RESIDENCE'S MAIN STAIRCASE, BUT ONLY TWO FORMER LEADERS HAVE PAINTED PORTRAITS ON DISPLAY: WINSTON CHURCHILL AND DAVID LLOYD GEORGE.

JOHN F KENNEDY LIBRARY DISPLAYS JACQUELINE KENNEDY'S 1962 HOLIDAY DRESS

A DEEP RED PINK SILK DRESS WORN BY JACQUELINE KENNEDY FOR HER SECOND HOLIDAY SEASON IN THE WHITE HOUSE HAS GONE ON DISPLAY AT THE JOHN F KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM IN BOSTON. THE FIRST LADY WORE THE DRESS TO THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF CHRISTMAS RECEPTION ON 12.DECEMBER.1962. THE SLEEVELESS DRESS BY HUBERT DE GIVENCHY IS SIMPLE IN FRONT, WITH TWISTS OF DRAPERY AND A BOW ON THE BACK. THE MARINE BAND AND SINGING GROUPS FROM THE AIR FORCE, ARMY AND NAVY ENTERTAINED THE 1,200 PARTY GUESTS. A 16-FOOT CHRISTMAS TREE WAS DECORATED WITH TOYS, CANDY CANES AND GINGERBREAD HOUSES. THE DRESS WENT ON DISPLAY 25.NOVEMBER.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II VISITS BERMUDA

BERMUDA ABANDONED THE TRADITIONAL RED CARPET WELCOME IN FAVOR OF A PINK COLOURED GREETING FOR TE QUEEN WHEN SHE ARRIVED IN THE ATLANTIC PARADISE ISLAND. THE UNUSUAL ROSE-TINTED RUG WAS ROLLED OUT FOR THE ROYAL VISIT WHICH IS CELEBRATING THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ISLAND'S SETTLEMENT BY THE BRITISH. IN BRILLIANT SUNSHINE THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH WERE GREETED BY BERMUDA'S GOVERNOR SIR RICHARD GOZNEY AND PREMIER EWART BROWN WHEN THEIR CHARTERED BRITISH AIRWAYS JET ARRIVED. THE RED CARPET WELCOME IS SOMETHING THE QUEEN HAS EXPERIENCED ALL OVER THE WORLD BUT IN BERMUDA SHOCKING PINK WAS CHOSEN TO REFLECT THE FAMOUS COLOUR OF THE LOCAL BEACHES. THE SANDY SHORES HAVE A UNIQUE ROSE TINGE TO THEM AS THEY ARE PARTLY MADE UP OF PULVERIZED CORALS AND MOLLUSK SHELLS. ABOVE THE ENTRANCE TO THE LF WADE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BUILDING WAS ANOTHER ICONIC IMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY, BERMUDA SHORTS. ORIGINALLY WORN BY THE BRITISH MILITARY TO KEEP COOL ON THE HOT AND HUMID ISLANDS THAT ARE WARMED BY THE GULF STREAM, THEY WERE ADOPTED BY THE LOCALS WHO COMBINED THEM WITH KNEE LENGTH SOCKS, JACKET AND TIE TO WEAR AT ANY OCCASION. THE QUEEN ARRIVED IN THE TERRITORY 56 YEARS TO THE DAY SINCE SHE FIRST TRAVELED TO THE REMOTE ATLANTIC OUTCROP ON 24.NOVEMBER.1953. IT WAS THE FIRST STOP ON A MAJOR TOUR OF THE COMMONWEALTH THAT FOLLOWED HER CORONATION FIVE MONTHS EARLIER. SINCE THE 1890s BERMUDA HAS BEEN A HAVEN FOR WEALTHY AMERICANS AND ITS APPEAL WAS SUMMED BY AMERICAN AUTHOR MARK TWAIN WHO ONCE WROTE: 'YOU GO TO HEAVEN IF YOU WANT TO, I'D RATHER STAY HERE'.

"CHARLES I INSULTED BY CROMWELL'S SOLDIERS" RECENTLY REDISCOVERED

A MAJOR WORK BY FRENCH PAINTER PAUL DELAROCHE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN VIRTUALLY DESTROYED DURING A WORLD WAR II GERMAN AIR RAID ON LONDON IN 1941 HAS BEEN UNROLLED AND FOUND TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. "CHARLES I INSULTED BY CROMWELL'S SOLDIERS", DEPICTING THE MONARCH SHORTLY BEFORE HIS EXECUTION IN 1649, WAS DAMAGED WHEN BRIDGEWATER HOUSE WAS BOMBED ON 11.MAY.1941. THE CANVAS, HANGING IN THE DINING ROOM AT THE TIME, WAS TAKEN DOWN, ROLLED UP AND MOVED TO A COUNTRY HOUSE IN SCOTLAND WHERE IT HAS REMAINED UNSEEN FOR NEARLY 70 YEARS. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN LONDON AND THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND APPROACHED THE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND AND ASKED IF THEY COULD INSPECT THE WORK AHEAD OF AN EXHIBITION ON DELAROCHE TO BE HELD IN LONDON FROM 24.FEBRUARY THROUGH 23.MAY NEXT YEAR. THEY DISCOVERED AROUND 200 TEARS CAUSED BY SHRAPNEL BUT, CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS, THE PAINTING WAS 'ALMOST ENTIRELY LEGIBLE AND HAS LOST NONE OF ITS EMOTIVE INTENSITY'. THE 1837 WORK WILL BE FEATURED ALONGSIDE OTHER DELAROCHE PAINTINGS INCLUDING THE FAMOUS 'THE EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY', ITSELF DAMAGED IN A 1928 FLOOD IN LONDON AND PRESUMED RUINED BUT WHICH WAS ALSO DISCOVERED, IN 1973, IN VIRTUALLY PERFECT CONDITION. THE SHRAPNEL DAMAGE WILL BE CLEARLY VISIBLE TO VISITORS, AS LONG TERM PLANS FOR ITS RESTORATION HAVE YET TO BE DECIDED. ONE FACTOR IS WHERE SUCH A LARGE SCALE WORK CAN HANG. THE CHARLES I PAINTING WILL BE ON SHOW IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S MAIN BUILDING WHICH IS FREE OF CHARGE IN THE HOPE THAT PEOPLE WHO SEE IT WILL GO ON TO PAY TO SEE THE EXHIBITION IN THE ADJACENT SAINSBURY WING.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM'S CHRISTMAS TREE AND NEAPLOITAN CRECHE ON DISPLAY THE HOLIDAYS

THE CHRISTMAS TREE AND NEAPOLITAN BAROQUE CRECHE AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, A LONG ESTABLISHED YULETIDE TRADITION IN NEW YORK, WILL BE ON VIEW FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON FROM 24.NOVEMBER THROUGH 6.JANUARY.2010. THE BRIGHTLY LIT, 20 FOOT BLUE SPRUCE, WITH A STUNNING COLLECTION OF 18th CENTURY NEAPOLITAN ANGELS AND CHERUBS AND GROUPS OF REALISTIC CRECHE FIGURES FLANKING THE NATIVITY SCENE AT ITS BASE, WILL ONCE AGAIN DELIGHT HOLIDAY VISITORS IN THE MUSEUM'S MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE HALL. SET IN FRONT OF THE 18th CENTURY SPANISH CHOIR SCREEN FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF VALLADOLID, WITH RECORDED CHRISTMAS MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND AND DAILY LIGHTING CEREMONIES, THE INSTALLATION REFLECTS THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DISPLAY IS THE RESULT OF THE GENEROSITY, ENTHUSIASM AND DEDICATION OF THE LATE LORETTA HINES HOWARD, WHO BEGAN COLLECTING CRECHE FIGURES IN 1925 AND SOON AFTER CONCEIVED THE IDEA OF COMBINING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CUSTOM OF ELABORATE NATIVITY SCENES WITH THE TRADITION OF DECORATED CHRISTMAS TREES THAT HAD DEVELOPED AMONG THE LARGELY PROTESTANT PEOPLE OF NORTHERN EUROPE. THE UNUSUAL COMBINATION WAS FIRST PRESENTED TO TE PUBLIC IN 1957, WHEN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM INITIALLY EXHIBITED HOWARD'S COLLECTION. MORE THAN 200 18th CENTURY CRECHE FIGURES WERE GIVEN TO THE MUSEUM BY HOWARD STARTING IN 1964, AND THEY HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED EACH HOLIDAY FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. THE TOWERING TREE, GLOWING WITH LIGHT, IS ADORNED WITH DELICATE CHERUBS AND SOME 50 GRACEFULLY SUSPENDED ANGELS. THE LANDSCAPE AT THE BASE DISPLAYS THE FIGURES AND SCENERY OF THE NEAPOLITAN CHRISTMAS CRIB. THE DISPLAY MINGLES TEH THREE BASIC ELEMENTS TRADITIONAL IN 18th CENTURY NAPLES: THE NATIVITY, WITH ADORING SHEPARDS AND THEIR FLOCKS; THE PROCESSION OF THE THREE MAGI AND THEIR EXOTICALLY DRESSED RETINUE OF ASIANS AND AFRICANS; AND, MOST DISTINCTIVELY, A CROWD OF COLOURFUL TOWNSPEOPLE AND PEASANTS. THE THEATRICAL SCENE IS ENHANCED BY A CHARMING ASSORTMENT OF ANIMALS, SHEEP, GOATS, HORSES, CAMELS, ANS AN ELEPHANT, AND BY BACKGROUND PIECES SERVING AS THE DRAMATIC SETTING FOR THE NATIVITY, INCLUDING RUINS OF A ROMAN TEMPLE, SEVERAL QUAINT HOUSES AND TYPICAL ITALIAN FOUNTAIN WITH A LION'S MASK WATERSPOUT.

LOUIS VUITTON 5th AVENUE MAISON HOLIDAY DISPLAY 2009

LOUIS VUITTON HAS COVERED THE ENTIRE FACADE OF THE FIFTH AVENUE MAISON WIT RUBEN TOLEDO'S ARTWORK FOR THE LOUIS VUITTON CITY GUIDES. IN ADDITION THE SPECIAL SEASONAL DISPLAY WINDOWS, 'HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS' HAVE BEN INSTALLED EVOKING THE SPIRIT OF TRAVEL SIGNATURE TO LOUIS VUITTON, THE EXCITEMENT OF EXPLORATION AND THE JOY SPENDING THE HOLIDAY SEASON WITH FAMILY. 'WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE RENOWNED ARTIST, RUBEN TOLEDO WORKING WITH US AGAIN', SAID DANIEL LALONDE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF LOUIS VUITTON NORTH AMERICA. 'TOLEDO'S SKETCHES AND ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR CITY GUIDES FOR YEARS AND WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT HIS ARTWORK IS THE CENTER OF OUR FIFTH AVENUE MAISON DISPLAY FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.'
LAST YEAR LOUIS VUITTON COVERED THE FACADE OF THE MAISON WITH TAKASHI MURAKAMI'S MONOGRAM MULTICOLOUR PRINT FOR THE SEASON. THIS YEAR THE STORE FACADE DISPLAY IS INSPIRED BY THE CITY STAMP ARTWORK THAT RUBEN TOLEDO DESIGNED FOR THE LOUIS VUITTON CITY GUIDES FOR NEW YORK, MIAMI, LOS ANGELES, PARIS, LONDON, TOKYO, ROME AND MUMBAI. PAINTER, SCULPTOR, ILLUSTRATOR, COLUMNIST AND CRITIC FOR THE TOP FASHION MAGAZINES, RUBEN TOLEDO HAS HAD A LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH LOUIS VUITTON SKETCHING EACH CITY GUIDE AND ILLUSTRATING AN ENTIRE NEW YORK TRAVEL SCRAPBOOK PUBLISHED BY LOUIS VUITTON.

THE QUEEN MAKES 110 YEAR OLD'S DAY WITH A NEW LOOK BIRTHDAY CARD

WHEN CATHERINE MASTERS COMPLAINED THAT THE QUEEN SENT OUT THE 'SAME OLD BIRTHDAY CARD' EACH YEAR, SHE WAS REWARDED WITH A SPECIAL SURPRISE VISIT FROM PRINCE WILLIAM, AND AN APOLOGY ON BEHALF OF HIS GRANDMOTHER. BUT IT DIDN'T END THERE. ON HER 110th BIRTHDAY RECENTLY THE OUTSPOKEN MASTERS RECEIVED A NEW CARD FEATURING THE MONARCH IN A REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT OUTFIT. GREAT-GRANDMOTHER MASTERS WROTE TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE EARLIER THIS YEAR, POLITELY POINTING OUT THAT THE TRADITIONAL BIRTHDAY CARD SENT TO CENTENARIANS HAD FEATURED THE SAME PHOTOGRAPH, THE QUEEN IN A YELLOW DRESS, FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. PENSIONERS RECEIVE A ROYAL TELEGRAM WHEN THEY REACH 100, AGAIN WHEN THEY ARE 105 AND EACH YEAR AFTER THAT. THE QUEEN WORE A RED DRESS IN THE FIRST CARD MASTERS RECEIVED, BUT IN THE OTHERS SHE WAS PICTURED IN YELLOW. HER LETTER CLEARLY STRUCK A CORD WITH COURTIERS, WHO ARRANGED FOR HER GRANDSON TO MAKE A SPECIAL VISIT TO THE GRANGE CARE CENTER IN STANFORD-IN-THE-VALE, OXFORDSHIRE, TO DISCUSS THE MATTER IN PERSON OVER TEA AND SCONES LAST MAY. WILLIAM APOLOGIZED AND PROMISED THAT HIS GRANDMOTHER WOULD WEAR A DIFFERENT OUTFIT FOR THE NEXT CARD. 'I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE QUEEN TO HAVE A NEW DRESS', SHE SAID AT THE TIME. 'I THINK EITHER A BLUE OR WHITE ONE WOULD BE NICE.' ON OPENING THE CARD, SHE REMARKED EXCITEDLY: 'OH LOOK, IT'S BLUE! THAT'S LOVELY, THAT'LL DO.' BORN IN DUNDEE ON 23.NOVEMBER.1899, WHEN QUEEN VICTORIA WAS STILL ON THE THRONE, MASTERS WAS THE SECOND OLDEST CHILD OF FOUR SIBLINGS. SHE MOVED TO LONDON WHEN SHE WAS NINE AND MARRIED TWICE. SHE MOVED TO THE CARE HOME THREE YEARS AGO AFTER HER GRANDSON DAVID, WHOM SHE USED TO LIVE IN OXFORDSHIRE, EMIGRATED.

CLARK ART INSTITUTE ACQUIRES BARBIZON SCHOOL PAINTING BY ROUSSEAU

THE STERLING AND FRANCINE CLARK ART INSTITUTE, WILLIAMSTOWN, MA, HAS ANNOUNCED THE ACQUISITION OF A MAJOR 19th CENTURY LANDSCAPE PAINTING BY PIERRE ETIENNE THEODORE ROUSSEAU. THE ACQUISITION BRINGS TO THE PUBLIC ONE OF THE GREATEST BARBIZON SCHOOL PAINTINGS, 'FARM IN THE LANDES (HOUSE IN THE GARDE), WHICH UNTIL NOW HAS BEEN HELD IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AND HAS NOT BEEN WIDELY EXHIBITED SINCE 1946. "THE PAINTING IS A MOVING TESTAMENT TO ROUSSEAU'S ABIDING LOVE FOR RURAL LIFE AND UNADORNED NATURE", SAID THE SENIOR CURATOR AT THE CLARK. "THIS LARGE SCALE PICTURE TRANSFORMS THE CLARK'S COLLECTION OF BARBIZON PICTURES." ROUSSEAU WORKED ON THE FARM IN THE LANDES FOR NEARLY TWENTY FIVE YEARS. THE PAINTING HAD ITS ORIGINS IN A TRIP TO THE REGION JUST SOUTH OF BORDEAUX IN 1844. AT THE TIME HE MADE A COMPOSITION DRAWING AND OIL PAINTING NEARLY AS LARGE AS THE FINAL WORK. UPON RETURNING TO HIS BARBIZON STUDIO, ROUSSEAU WORKED ON THE CANVAS OVER THE ENSUING DECADES. THE PAINTING WAS ONE OF THREE INITIALLY PURCHASED IN 1852 BY FREDERIC HARTMAN, AN ALSATIAN INDUSTRIALIST AND ONE OF THE ARTIST'S MOST IMPORTANT PATRONS. OWING TO ROUSSEAU'S OBSESSIVE WORK, HARTMAN WAS UNABLE TO COLLECT HIS PICTURE UNTIL WELL AFTER THE ARTIST'S DEATH IN 1867. ONE OF THE KEY FIGURES IN THE BARBIZON SCHOOL, ROUSSEAU WROTE TO HARTMAN THAT THE FARM IN THE LANDES WAS ONE OF HIS BEST AND MOST PERSONAL WORKS. IT DEPICTS A REGION OF SOUTHWESTERN FRANCE THAT THE ARTIST LIKENED TO EDEN. MONUMENTAL OAKS, SILHOUETTED AGAINST AN INTENSE BLUE SKY, DOMINATE A SCENE OF A HUMBLE FARM WARMED BY LATE AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT. A DUSTY PATH LEADS THROUGH A RUSTIC GATE INTO A BUSY FARMYARD WHERE A DOG SITS PATIENTLY, A MAN REPAIRS A WAGON WHEEL WHILE A CHILD LOOKS ON, A WOMAN FEEDS COWS AND A SECOND WOMAN HANGS WASHING BEFORE A BARN WITH A GREAT THATCHED ROOF.

THE HERAKLEIDON MUSEUM PRESENTS 'THE COMPLETE SCULPTURES OF EDGAR DEGAS'

THE HERAKLEIDON MUSEUM, ATHENS, PRESENTS THE EXHIBITION 'THE COMPLETE SCULPTURES OF EDGAR DEGAS'. THE EXHIBITION HAS MANY FIRSTS. IT IS THE FIRST TIME DEGAS' SCULPTURES ARE EXHIBITED IN GREECE, THE FIRST TIME ALL SEVENTY-FOUR SCULPTURES ARE PRESENTED TOGETHER AND THE FIRST TIME VISITORS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL BACK IN TIME. . . LET US EXPLAIN THE LAST STATEMENT. WE HAVE ALL HEARD OF SCIENTISTS USING SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT TO DISCOVER A PAINTING OF A FAMOUS ARTIST, DA VINCI FOR EXAMPLE, HIDDEN UNDER ONE OF HIS LATER WORKS. IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR A PAINTER TO RECYCLE A CANVAS, SOMETIMES PAINTING THE SAME SUBJECT, BUT DIFFERENTLY. ALAS, ONE CANNOT ACCESS THE EARLIER WORK WITHOUT DESTROYING THE LATER, WELL-KNOWN VERSION. IN OTHER WORDS, ONE MAY TRAVEL BACK IN TIME, BUT WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF RETURNING TO THE PRESENT. NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN THAT KIND OF TRAVEL. BUT NOW WE HAVE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY. ALL THE BRONZE SCULPTURES IN THIS EXHIBITION WERE CAST FROM RECENTLY DISCOVERED PLASTERS MADE FROM DEGAS' ORIGINAL WAXES DURING HIS LIFETIME AND WITH HIS CONSENT. THIS IS REMARKABLE SINCE ALL THE OTHER BRONZES ONE CURRENTLY SEES IN MUSEUMS AND ELSEWHERE WERE CAST FROM MASTERS MADE AFTER THE ARTIST'S DEATH. THEREFORE, THE BRONZES IN THIS EXHIBITION CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS, AND ALL THE OTHERS AS THE SECOND VERSIONS OF THE SCULPTURES. THUS, FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR EXPERTS, SCHOLARS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO COMPARE THEA ARTIST'S BRONZES IN THE BEFORE AND AFTER STATES, ALMOST UNPARALLELED IN THE HISTORY OF ART. THE HERAKLEIDON MUSEUM IS VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS THE ORGANIZER OF THE TRAVELING EXHIBITION OF THE 74 EXTRAORDINARY DEGAS' SCULPTURES. THE PURPOSE IS TO MAKE THE WORKS AVAILABLE TO A BROADER AUDIENCE.

HERMES KELLY

MELTING COLLECTION FOR RUINART

TO CELEBRATE THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS PRESTIGIOUS VINTAGE CUVEE, LA MAISON RUINART COMMISSIONED THE DUTCH DESIGNER MAARTEN BAAS TO CREATE A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ART FOR THE TABLE. THE MELTING COLLECTION INCLUDES AN ICE BUCKET AND GLASSES WHICH HAVE BEEN DESIGNED IN A WAY TO CREATE THE ILLUSION THAT THE BASE OF THE ICE BUCKET AND GLASSES HAS MELTED. THE ICE BUCKET IS MADE OF STERLING SILVER AND IS A LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 50 PIECES, WHILST THE GLASSES ARE MADE OF FINE CRYSTAL AND ARE AVAILABLE IN A GIFT BOX CONTAINING 2 GLASSES AND A BOTTLE OF CUVEE.

HERMES $560,000 8 DAY SPIRAL BOULE CLOCK

FOR $560,000, THE STUNNING AND UNIQUE HERMES 8 DAY SPIRAL BOULE CLOCK IS AN 88mm IN DIAMETER 1kg BALL OF MAGNIFYING-EFEECT OPTICAL CRYSTAL, 18 CARAT WHITE GOLD AND A TOTAL OF 231 PARTS INCLUDING 25 JEWELS. THE SPIRAL BOULE IS WOUND BY TWISTING TEH TWO HALVES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, WHILE A SINGLE BUTTON ON THE BASE SWITCHES IT INTO A TIME-SETTING MODE. INSIDE, THE SIMPLE HANDS MOVE AROUND THE SPIRAL GOLD GILDED CLOCK FACE, OR YOU CAN FLIP IT OVER TO WATCH TEH MECHANICS AT WORK. HERMES SAYS THERE'S ENOUGH POWER FOR 200 HOURS OF USE IN-BETWEEN WINDINGS, AND THAT THE INSPIRATION FOR THE DESIGN WAS A CLASSIC CLOCK AT THE COMPANY'S MUSEUM IN PARIS.

GUCCI AND CHRISTIE'S UNITE TO FIGHT COUNTERFEITERS

THE LUXURY ITALIAN FASHION DESIGN HOUSE GUCCI HAS DECLARED WAR ON COUNTERFEITERS, RELEASING NEWS THAT IT PLANS TO COLLABORATE WITH RENOWNED AUCTION HOUSE CHRISTIE'S TO SLOW THE TRADE IN FAKE GUCCI PRODUCTS WITH A SPECIAL RESALE SERVICE ADMINISTERED BY THE AUCTION HOUSE. THE NEW SERVICE WILL ALLOW POTENTIAL SELLERS TO SUBMIT PHOTOGRAPHS OF VINTAGE GUCCI PRODUCTS TO CHRISTIE'S, WHOSE SPECIALISTS WILL VALUE THE GOODS AND PLACE THEM FOR SALE ON A SECTION OF THEIR WEB SITE. THE PARTNERS SAY THAT UNLIKE ONLINE AUCTIONEER EBAY, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO VOUCH FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE GOODS OFFERED ON THE SITE. 'I FEEL IT IS A NOBLE, APPROPRIATE, AND MODERN WAY TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ORIGINAL GUCCI VINTAGE PRODUCTS TO A RELEVANT, AND WELL-TARGETED AUDIENCE', PATRIZIO DI MARCO, GUCCI'S CEO STATED. CHRISTIE'S AND GUCCI ARE BOTH OWNED BY THE PPR LUXURY GROUP, MAKING THE TWO NATURAL ALLIES. THE INITIATIVE IS PART OF A BROADER EFFORT BY GUCCI TO CELEBRATE ITS FASHIONABLE HERITAGE IN THE RUN-UP TO THE 90th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDING, WHICH IT WILL CELEBRATE IN 2011. NEXT YEAR, THE COMPANY PLANS TO OPEN A MUSEUM DEVOTED TO ITS RICH AND COLOURFUL HISTORY IN FLORENCE.

JUDGEMENT DAY BY JEFF EASON AND TROY DUNHAM

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY PRESENTS 'POMPEII AND THE VILLA'

TWO CENTURIES BEFORE OUR ERA, THE REGION OF CAMPANIA BECAME THE FAVORITE PLACE OF ROMAN EMPERORS, FROM JULIUS CAESAR TO NERO, AND ARISTOCRATS TO RELAX, DUE TO THE BEAUTY OF THE BAY OF NAPLES. POMPEII, HERCULANEUM AND NEARBY VILLAGES REPRESENTED LEISURE FOR SOME AND WORK FOR OTHERS, LIKE ARTISTS. A HUNDRED PIECES, WHICH REVEAL THE LUXURY AND SOPHISTICATION THAT THIS MEDITERRANEAN ZONE REACHED BEFORE THE VOLCANO VESUVIUS ERUPTED IN 79 AD, ARRIVE TO MEXICO AS PART OF THE EXHIBITION "POMPEII AND THE VILLA. ART AND CULTURE AROUND THE BAY OF NAPLES", WHICH RECENTLY OPENED AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, MEXICO CITY. AS PART OF THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM BETWEEN MEXICO AND ITALY, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY (INAH) SPONSORS THIS INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION WITHIN ITS CYCLE "GREAT CIVILIZATIONS". IN RETURN, 'TEOTIHUACAN, CITY OF THE GODS' WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE PALACE OF EXHIBITIONS IN ROME IN 2010. MOST OBJECTS ARE PART OF THE NAPLES NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM COLLECTION, WHILE OTHERS COME FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF CAMPI FLEGREI, POMPEII. A SCULPTURE OF A YOUNG HERCULES EXHIBITED IS PART OF THE COLLECTION OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

CITY VIEW: WASHINGTON DC

PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY SET UP NEW CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH RECENTLY DISCLOSED THAT PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY HAVE TAKEN ONE OF THEIR MOST IMPORTANT STEPS TOGETHER IN PUBLIC LIFE BY SETTING UP THEIR OWN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. THE PRINCES HAVE INVESTED A SUBSTANTIAL SIX FIGURE SUM OF THEIR OWN MONIES FROM THEIR PERSONAL FORTUNE INTO THE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION OF PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY. IT WILL ALSO GIVE MONEY TO NEEDY YOUNG PEOPLE AND PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR POVERTY STRICKEN VILLAGES IN AFRICA. THE MONEY WILL BE RAISED FROM PRIVATE BENEFACTORS AND EXTENSIVE FUND-RAISING. THE PRINCE OF WALES HAS GIVEN HIS BLESSINGS TO HIS SONS STEPPING OUT ON THEIR OWN TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE QUEEN'S ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT IS UNDERLINED BY THE FACT THAT LORD JANVRIN, HER FORMER PRIVATE SECRETARY WHO WAS HER MOST TRUSTED ADVISER, IS TO BE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRUSTEES. PAPERS FOR THE NEW CHARITY, WHICH IS BASED AT ST JAMES'S PALACE WHERE THE PRINCES HAVE THEIR PRIVATE OFFICES, HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CHARITY COMMISSION. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOUNDATION IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STEP TO DATE BY THE TWO PRINCES IN THEIR RAPIDLY EXPANDING PUBLIC ROLES. IF AND WHEN THEY LEAVE THE ARMED FORCES AND BECOME FULL-TIME MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY IT WILL BE A CORNERSTONE OF THEIR PUBLIC DUTIES. THEIR DECISION TO DEVOTE AT LEAST A THIRD OF ALL MONEY RAISED TO HELPING WITH THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, ESPECIALLY THOSE RETURNING WITH HORRIFIC INJURIES FROM AFGHANISTAN, HAS DELIGHTED THE QUEEN WHO IS HEAD OF THE ARMED FORCES. PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY ARE SAID TO BE "REALLY EXCITED" ABOUT THE NEW ORGANIZATION WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR MONTHS. A CLARENCE HOUSE SPOKESMAN SAID: "THE PRINCE OF WALES IS PLEASED THAT HIS SONS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN CHARITABLE LIVES." WHILE THEIR MILITARY CAREERS WILL TAKE PRECEDENCE THE SPOKESMAN ADDED: "PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY WILL TAKE A CLOSE AND ACTIVE INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOUNDATION." PRINCE HARRY'S SENTEBALE CHARITY, WHICH HELPS ORPHANS OF AIDS IN LESOTHO, WILL OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE NEW FOUNDATION.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, LAUNCHES CONTEST TO NAME LEONARDO'S SFORZA HORSE

VISITORS TO THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO NAME LEONARDO DA VINCI'S SFORZA HORSE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY RE-CREATED ON THE HIGH'S SIFLY PIAZZA, FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN AIRLINE TICKETS, A DINNER FOR FOUR, $100 TO SPEND IN THE HIGH'S MUSEUM SHOP, AND A CLASS TRIP TO THE HIGH. TO ENTER (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY), VISITORS WILL FILL OUT FORMS AT KIOSKS IN THE MUSEUM'S LOBBY WITH THEIR PROPOSED NAME FOR THE HORSE, THE REASON THEY CHOSE THAT NAME AND THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. THE CONTEST WILL BE JUDGED BY MUSEUM STAFF AND A WINNER WILL BE SELECTED BY 1.MARCH.2010.
THE CONTEST IS BEING HELD IN CELEBRATION OF THE EXHIBITION, "LEONARDO DA VINCE: HAND OF THE GENIUS", ON VIEW THROUGH 21.FEBRUARY.2010, THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES LEONARDO'S PROFOUND INTEREST IN AND INFLUENCE ON SCULPTURE, FEATURING APPROXIMATELY 50 WORKS, INCLUDING MORE THAN 20 SKETCHES AND STUDIES BY LEONARDO, SOME OF WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE EXHIBITION ALSO FEATURES WORKS BY DONATELLO, RUBENS, VERROCCHIO, AND RUSTICI, INCLUDING RUSTICI'S THREE MONUMENTAL BRONZES FROM THE FACADE OF THE BAPTISTERY IN FLORENCE THAT COMPRISE 'JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHING TO A LEVITE AND A PHARISEE", WHICH IS RECENTLY RESTORED AND HAS NEVER LEFT FLORENCE. ALSO INCLUDED ARE WORKS FROM WORLD-RENOWNED COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING THAT OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, THE MUSEE DU LOUVRE, THE BRITISH MUSEUM, AND THE MUSEO NAZIONALE DEL BARGELLO IN FLORENCE. THE EXHIBITION SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON LEONARDO'S SEMINAL ROLE IN TEH DEVELOPMENT OF RENAISSANCE SCULPTURE AND THE WORK OF ARTISTS WHO FOLLOWED HIM THROUGH AND EXAMINATION OF THE SCULPTURE THAT LEONARDO STUDIED, THE SKETCHES AND STUDIES HE CREATED FOR HIS OWN SCULPTURAL PROJECTS (THE MAJORITY OF WHICH WERE NEVER REALIZED), AND HIS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER RENAISSANCE SCULPTORS.