PRINCE CHARLES VISITS ANGLO-SAXON GOLD HOARD

THE PRINCE OF WALES RECENTLY BECAME THE FIRST ROYAL TO HANDLE THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD IN 1,400 YEARS. THE PRINCE WAS GIVEN THE CHANCE TO EXAMINE ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION INCLUDING A CRUMPLED GOLD CROSS AND A SWORD HANDLE, DURING A VISIT TO THE POTTERIES MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY IN STOKE-ON-KENT. ACCOMPANIED BY THE DUCHESS OF CORNALL, THE PRINCE ALSO CHATTED WITH THE FARMER ON WHOSE LAND THE HOARD WAS FOUND NEAR LICHFIELD LAST SUMMER. MUSEUM OFFICIALS SAID THE PRINCE AND THE DUCHESS HAD BEEN FASCINATED BY THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THE PROCESSIONAL CROSS, EVEN INQUIRING WHETHER IT COULD BE STRAIGHTENED OUT. MORE THAN 100 PIECES OF THE TREASURE, WHICH HAS BEEN DATED TO THE 7th CENTURY AND IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BELONGED TO ANCIENT KINGS, ARE CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM'S PRINCIPAL COLLECTIONS OFFICER, DEB KLEMPERER, SHOWED THE ROYAL COUPLE AROUND THE EXHIBITION DURING THEIR VISIT TO MARK THE CENTENARY OF THE FEDERATION OF STOKE-ON-TRENT'S SIX TOWNS. SPEAKING AFTER THE HOUR-LONG VISIT, KLEMPERER SAID: 'THE PRINCE WAS REALLY INTERESTED, AS WAS THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL.' DURING THE VISIT, KLEMPERER SAID, THE PRINCE ALSO ASKED HOW MUCH HAD BEEN RAISED TO BUY THE HOARD, WHICH HAS BEEN VALUED AT MORE THAN £3 MILLION. PRAISING THE PRINCE FOR HIS SUPPORT FOR THE FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN, WHICH AIMS TO ACQUIRE THE HOARD FOR DISPLAY IN THE WEST MIDLANDS AND STAFFORDSHIRE, KLEMPERER ADDED THAT CHARLES HAD EXPRESSED HOPE THAT THE CROSS COULD BE 'UNFOLDED'. FRED JOHNSON, WHO OWNS THE FIELD WHERE THE HOARD WAS DISCOVERED, ADMITTED TO FEELING A LITTLE BIT DAUNTED BEFORE HIS MEETING WITH THE PRINCE. THE 65 YEAR OLD, WHO ARMS LAND NEAR HAMMERWICH, STAFFORDSHIRE, STRESSED THAT HE FELT PRIVILEGED RATHER THAN PROUD THAT THE HOARD HAD BEEN UNEARTHED ON HIS LAND. 'YOU CAN BE PROUD OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE DONE YOURSELF, THIS WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE STROKE OF LUCK', HE SAID.

BANKSY ART TO BE SOLD BY TWO LONDON LADS

TWO YOUNG CHANCERS FROM CLAPHAM RECENTLY SPENT £13,000TO REMOVE AN ART BY BANKSY FROM THE STREETS OF SOUTH LONDON AND HIT THE JACKPOT AFTER IT WAS VALUED AT OVER £500,000. BRADLEY RIDGE AND NICK LOIZOU ARE LIFELONG FRIENDS FROM SOUTH LONDON. ON 9.NOVEMBER LAST YEAR BRADLEY HEARD ABOUT A PIECE OF BANKSY STREET ART APPEARING ON BEDDINGTTON FARM ROAD IN CROYDON. BEING A FAN OF THE ILLUSIVE STREET ARTIST, BRADLEY THOUGHT HE WOULD SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY. NINE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS LATER, A FEW THREATS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE, £13,000 IN COSTS AND A DEAL WITH A LOCAL LAND OWNER, BRADLEY AND NICK NOW OWN A VERY RARE PIECE OF MODERN ART. THE COLLECTOR'S ITEM IS THE ONLY PIECE OF BANKSY STREET ART CURRENTLY ON THE ART MARKET. IN RECENT YEARS BANKSY WALLS HAVE FETCHED UP TO £300,000 AND CELEBRITIES SUCH AS BRAD PITT HAVE SPENT AROUND £400,000 ON HIS STUDIO ART. BRADLEY AND NICK HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED ONE OFFER BUT ARE DETERMINED TO MAXIMIZE THEIR OPPORTUNISM.

ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM, SINGAPORE, PRESENTS EXHIBITION OF MUGUL ARTIFACTS

A DAZZLING EXHIBITION OF JEWELED ART WORKS IN SINGAPORE WILL TRANSPORT YOU TO THE GRANDEUR OF THE LEGENDARY, LUXURY-LOVING INDIAN DYNASTY THROUGH OVER 400 AMAZING ARTIFACTS RANGING FROM GEM STONES WITH ISLAMIC INSCRIPTIONS TO JEWEL-ENCRUSTED DAGGERS. THE 'TREASURY OF THE WORLD' AT THE ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM IS A STUNNING SHOWCASE OF THE SPLENDOR OF THE MOGULS, WHO WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR LAVISH LIFESTYLE DURING THEIR RULE FROM THE LATE 16th TO 19th CENTURIES. THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION ARE A NEARLY 250 CARAT BALAS RUBY INSCRIBED WITH THE NAMES OF SIX ROYAL RULERS, AN ELABORATELY DECORATED DAGGER AND SCABBARD WITH PATTERNS OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS MADE FROM 2,000 GEM STONES INCLUDING RUBIES, EMERALDS AND DIAMONDS, AND A RUBY PENDANT WITH A CAMEO PORTRAIT OF SHAH JAHAN. SHAH JAHAN IS THE MOGUL EMPEROR WHO BUILT THE TAJ MAHAL IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE, MUMTAZ MAHAL. THE MOGULS, WHO SAT ON THE LEGENDARY PEACOCK THRONE STUDDED WITH THE KOHINOOR DIAMOND, WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR LOVE FOR EVERYTHING LAVISH. APART FROM THE BEJEWELED DAGGERS, TURBAN ORNAMENTS AND ARCHERY RINGS, THEIR APPRECIATION FOR TH FABULOUS ALSO EXTENDED TO EVERYDAY ITEMS SUCH AS SERVING DISHES AND BACK SCRATCHERS STUDDED WITH JEWELS. 'THE MOGUL EMPIRE WAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL DYNASTIES THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. MOST MOGUL RULERS REVELED IN THE LUXURY THAT THEIR PRIVILEGED POSITION AFFORDED THEM', SAID A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM. SINCE ITS FIRST SHOWING IN NEW YORK, THE EXHIBITION HAS TRAVELED TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM, THE LOUVRE AND THE HERMITAGE IN ST PETERSBURG BEFORE ITS CURRENT STOP AT THE ASIAN CIVILIZATION MUSEUM. BUT THE MOGUL PIECES, PART OF THE FAMOUS AL-SABAH COLLECTION, WERE ONCE ALMOST LOST TO WAR EVEN BEFORE THEY BEGAN THEIR HISTORIC JOURNEY. THE AL-SABAH COLLECTION IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ISLAMIC ART COLLECTIONS CONSISTING OF MORE THAN 25,000 WORKS FROM THE 7th TO THE 19th CENTURY. DURING IRAQ'S INVASION OF KUWAIT IN 1990, THE AL-SABAH COLLECTION WAS LOOTED AND TRANSPORTED TO BAGHDAD WHERE IT REMAINED UNTIL RETRIEVED WITH THE HELP OF THE UNITED NATIONS. SINGAPORE IS THE EXHIBITION'S FIRST STOP IN ASIA. IT RUNS UNTIL 27.JUNE AND THEN HEADS TO KUALA LUMPUR.

BONHAMS TO SELL GIACOMETTI LAMPS ONCE OWNED BY JAMES MASON

TWO STUNNING LAMPS PRODUCED AND DESIGNED COLLABORATIVELY BY SWISS SCULPTOR ALBERTO GIACOMETTI AND HIS YOUNGER BROTHER DIEGO, AND A TABLE DESIGNED BY DIEGO GIACOMETTI, WHICH WERE OWNED BY THE LATE BRITISH ACTOR JAMES MASON (1909-1984) SINCE THE LATE 1960s, ARE BEING OFFERED AT BONHAMS, NEW BOND STREET AS PART OF ITS POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART AND DESIGN SALE ON 10.MARCH.2010. THE LAMPS (LOT 11 AND 12, BOTH ENTITLED LAMPDAIRE NOUED) ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN DESIGNED BY ALBERTO BETWEEN 1935 AND 1937, AND TRANSLATED INTO BRONZE BY DIEGO. THE BROTHERS WERE COMMISSIONED BY THE FRENCH INTERIOR DESIGNER JEAN-MICHEL FRANK TO PRODUCE A RANGE OF DECORATIVE OBJECTS FOR HIS GALLERY IN 1932, HAVING BEEN INTRODUCED TO FRANK BY AMERICAN ARTIST MAN RAY THREE YEARS EARLIER. THEY DESIGNED AROUND 20 LIGHTS IN TOTAL, AND CONTINUED TO WORK WITH FRANK UNTIL THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. THE LAMPS HAVE A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £25,000 - 35,000 EACH. AFTER THE WAR ALBERTO LARGELY ABANDONED HIS FURNITURE WORK, LEAVING IT TO DIEGO. AN EXAMPLE OF DIEGO'S CONTINUED EXCELLENCE IN FURNITURE DESIGN IS INCLUDED IN THE SALE: TABLE TORSADE, CAST CIRCA 1965, AND ESTIMATED AT £50,000 – 70,000. ACTOR JAMES MASON WHO STARRED IN SUCH FILMS AS NORTH BY NORTHEAST, LOLITA AND THE TRIAL OF OSCAR WILDE, IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE FINEST ACTORS OF THE 20th CENTURY. HE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE WORKS BY A FRIEND.

LATTER DAYS (2003) - TUESDAY, 3:00 am/ NITA WHITAKER

$50,000 DUNHILL SHARGREEN GAMES COMPENDIUM

LONDON LUXURY GOODS FIRM DUNHILL HAS RECENTLY COME OUT WITH A EXQUISITE GENTLEMAN'S GAMES SET FINISHED IN EXOTIC SHAGREEN FOR $50,000. THE SHARGREEN GAMES COMPENDIUM IS HANDMADE BY EXPERT LEATHER ARTISANS EXCLUSIVELY FOR ALFRED DUNHILL AND IS INSPIRED BY SOME OF THE FINEST PIECES IN THE DUNHILL ARCHIVES COLLECTION. THE GAMES CHEST IS FORMED USING CEDAR WOOD AND THEN COVERED IN THE FINEST GRAY SHAGREEN LEATHER (DERIVED FROM THE SKIN OF MALE STING-RAYS) AND ELEGANTLY TRIMMED WITH EBONY WITH STAINLESS STEEL HARDWARE. THE SHAGREEN PROVIDES A PROTECTIVE ELEMENT AS IT IS REMARKABLY DURABLE. THE COMPENDIUM CONTAINS SHAGREEN-EMBELLISHED CHESS, BACKGAMMON AND NOUGHTS & CROSSES BOARDS WITH AL THE COUNTERS AND PIECES FINISHED IN STERLING SILVER. A BOTTOM TRAY HOUSES TWO PACKS OF DUNHILL PLAYING CARDS, POKER DICE, BRIDGE SCORE CARDS AND DUNHILL PENCILS. DUNHILL IS ALSO OFFERING A MATCHING WATCH OR CUFF LINK BOX IN THE SAME CEDAR, SHAGREEN AND EBONY STYLE AND A LIMITED EDITION FOUNTAIN PEN WITH AN 18 CARAT GOLD NIB AND SHAGREEN COVERED BARREL.

SKELETON OF ST ANTHONY GOES ON DISPLAY

THE SKELETON OF ST ANTHONY HAS RECENTLY GONE ON DISPLAY TO THE PUBLIC MORE THAN 750 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. PILGRIMS ARE BEING GIVEN THE CHANCE TO SEE THE 13th CENTURY REMAINS OF ST ANTHONY WHICH WENT ON DISPLAY IN A GLASS CASE IN ITALY. THE DISPLAY, WHICH WILL LAST UNTIL SATURDAY WILL BE IN THE CHAPEL OF HIS TOMB IN PADUA AND MARKS THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFER OF ST ANTHONY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE 'FEAST OF THE TONGUE'. THIS COMMEMORATES THE FIRST TIME HIS REMAINS WERE MOVED IN 1263, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ST BONAVENTURE, AND THE FINAL TRANSFER TO RELICS CHAPEL OF PADUA'S BASILICA ON 15.FEBRUARY.1350. ST ANTHONY, PATRON SAINT OF PADUA, IS ALSO KNOWN AS ANTHONY OF LISBON. WHEN HIS COFFIN WAS MOVED 30 YEARS AFTER HIS BURIAL IT WAS OPENED AND IT IS CLAIMED MOST OF HIS BODY WAS FOUND TO HAVE RETURNED TO DUST. HOWEVER HIS TONGUE REMAINED FRESH, WHICH WAS SEEN AS A SIGN OF HIS GIFT OF PREACHING, AND WAS KEPT IN A SEPARATE RELIC BOX. ANTHONY'S RELICS WERE LAST DISPLAYED IN 1981. MARKING THE 750th ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH. HE IS ONE OF THE 'QUICKEST' SAINTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS HE WAS CANONIZED BY POPE GREGORY IX LESS THAN ONE YEAR AFTER HE DIED. TODAY HE IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SAINTS AND IS OFTEN CALLED UPON BY CATHOLICS TO HELP FIND LOST POSSESSIONS. HE IS ALSO REMEMBERED AS THE NAMESAKE FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS; SPANISH EXPLORERS IN THE AREA STOPPED THERE ON HIS FEAST DAY (13.JUNE) AND NAMED THE RIVER AND SETTLEMENT AFTER HIM.

DUKE OF YORK CELEBRATES 50th BIRTHDAY

THE DUKE OF YORK IS PREPARING FOR A WEEK OF CELEBRATIONS TO MARK HIS 50th BIRTHDAY. THE PRINCE IS FIRST HEADING ABROAD FOR HIS BIG DAY, MARKING THE MILESTONE IN VERBIER WITH HIS EX-WIFE SARAH, DUCHESS OF YORK AND THEIR DAUGHTERS PRINCESS BEATRICE AND PRINCESS EUGENIE. THE FAMILY WILL HOST A PRIVATE CELEBRATORY DINNER IN THE SWISS ALPS SKI-RESORT. NEXT THURSDAY, THE DUKE WILL ATTEND AN OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY RECEPTION AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE FOR AROUND 300 GUESTS. THE QUEEN, THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AND OTHER SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL BE THERE, ALONGSIDE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DUKE'S CHARITIES, PATRONAGES AND MILITARY REGIMENTS. THE ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET, OF WHICH ANDREW IS PATRON, WILL BE AMONG THE ACTS PERFORMING IN THE GRAND PALACE BALLROOM TO MARK THE OCCASION. PRINCESSES BEATRICE AND EUGENIE AND THE DUCHESS OF YORK ARE ALSO PLANNING A PRIVATE PARTY FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT ST JAMES'S PALACE THE FOLLOWING EVENING. THE DUKE, HOWEVER, DOES NOT DRINK ALCOHOL AND WILL BE STICKING TO HIS CHOICE BEVERAGE OF STILL WATER RATHER THAN CHAMPAGNE FOR HIS HALF-CENTURY CELEBRATIONS. ANDREW ALBERT CHRISTIAN EDWARD, THE THIRD CHILD AND SECOND SON OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE PHILIP, WAS BORN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON 19.FEBRUARY.1960. HE ARRIVED AFTER A GAP OF ALMOST 10 YEARS BETWEEN HIM AND THE PRINCESS ROYAL AND BECAME THE FIRST CHILD TO BE BORN TO A REIGNING MONARCH FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS SINCE QUEEN VICTORIA'S LAST, PRINCESS BEATRICE, IN 1857. EDUCATED AT GORDONSTOUN, IN SCOTLAND, HE WAS SPORTY RATHER THAN ACADEMIC AND JOINED THE ROYAL NAVY IN 1978, GOING ON TO SEE ACTIVE SERVICE AS A SEA KING HELICOPTER PILOT IN THE FALKLANDS WAR. ALONG WITH HIS SQUADRON, HE SAILED IN HMS INVINCIBLE AS PART OF THE TASK FORCE WHICH WENT TO WAR IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC TO REGAIN THE ISLANDS. HE WED VIVACIOUS, RED-HAIRED SARAH FERGUSON ON 23.JULY.1986. THEIR FIRST CHILD BEATRICE WAS BORN IN 1988 AND THEIR SECOND, EUGENIE, IN 1990. BUT THE RELATIONSHIP FELL INTO TROUBLE, NOT HELPED BY THE DUKE'S LONG SPELLS AWAY WITH THE NAVY. THE YORK'S SEPARATED IN 1992 AND DIVORCED IN 1996, BUT HAVE REMAINED CLOSE GOOD FRIENDS. THE DUKE, WHO USED TO HIT HEADLINES FOR MAKING THE MOST OF HIS BACHELOR STATUES, LEFT THE NAVY AT THE END OF JULY 2001 AFTER 22 YEARS IN THE SERVICE. HE TOOK OVER FROM THE DUKE OF KENT AS THE UK's SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE. BUT HIS ROLE AS TRIGGERED CRITICISM OVER HIS USE OF PLANES AND HELICOPTERS AT TAXPAYERS' EXPENSE. IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, BEATRICE DESCRIBES HER FATHER AS THE 'BEST SINGLE DAD', BUT ADDED 'IT WOULD BE NICE FOR HIM NOT TO BE SINGLE'. THE DUKE TOLD SKY NEWS HE LEARNED LESSONS FROM HIS FAILED MARRIAGE AND THAT WHEN HIS NEPHEWS PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY WED, PEOPLE AROUND THEM WOULD BE 'FULLY AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF GETTING IT WRONG'.

PRINCE WILLIAM TO PRESENT FELLOWSHIP AWARD TO VANESSA REDGRAVE

PRINCE WILLIAM WILL PRESENT AN ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP AWARD TO VETERAN ACTRESS VANESSA REDGRAVE AT THIS YEAR'S BAFTAS, ACCORDING TO ACADEMY SOURCES. THE 27 YEAR OLD IS MAKING HIS FIRST APPEARANCE AT THE ORANGE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS, THE BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY'S BIGGEST AWARDS NIGHT. THE PRINCE AND HIS BROTHER HARRY ARE INCREASINGLY TAKING ON MORE HIGH-PROFILE ENGAGEMENTS. HARRY RECORDED A VIDEO MESSAGE FOR THE RECENT BRITS AWARDS CEREMONY WHICH HONORED A HOST OF POP STARS FROM LADY GAGA TO JLS, WHILE WILLIAM WILL BE AMONG GLOBAL MOVIE STARS AT THE BAFTAS CEREMONY BEING STAGED AT LONDON'S ROYAL OPERA HOUSE ON SUNDAY. THE FELLOWSHIP RECOGNIZES AN INDIVIDUALS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO FILM. SOME OF THE INDUSTRY'S BIGGEST NAMES HAVE RECEIVED THE AWARD, INCLUDING CHARLIE CHAPLIN, ALFRED HITCHCOCK, AND LAST YEAR'S RECIPIENT, TERRY GILLIAM. REDGRAVE, WHO LOST HER DAUGHTER, NATASHA RICHARDSON, IN A SKYING ACCIDENT LAST YEAR, HAS HAD A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL MOVIE CAREER. SHE EARNED AND OSCAR NOMINATION FOR HER 1967 FILM 'MORGAN: A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT' AND COLLECTED THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OSCAR IN 1977 FOR 'JULIA', IN WHICH SHE PORTRAYED A JEWISH WOMAN MURDERED BY THE NAZIS. SPEAKING LAST WEEK, REDGRAVE SAID OF HER FELLOWSHIP: 'I'M TRULY DELIGHTED, IT'S SUCH AN HONOUR TO BE RECOGNIZED IN THIS WAY.'

£11 MILLION GEM OF TANZANIA SELLS FOR £8,010 AFTER BEING PROVED TO BE A FAKE

A GIANT RUBY ONCE VALUED AT £11 MILLION HAS RECENTLY SOLD FOR JUST A FRACTION OF THE PRICE AFTER DOCUMENTS PROVED IT WAS A FORGERY. THE 10,700 CARAT GEM OF TANZANIA, ONCE BELIEVED TO BE THE LARGEST RUBY IN THE WORLDS, WAS SOLD FOR JUST £8,010 BY ADMINISTRATORS ERNST & YOUNG. THE ROCK ONCE UNDERPINNED THE BALANCE SHEET OF SHROPSHIRE FIRM WREKNI CONSTRUCTION AND WAS LISTED AS AN £11 MILLION ASSET BY THE COMPANY'S OWNER DAVID UNWIN. BUT AFTER THE COMPANY COLLAPSED LAST SPRING, THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE 4.41lb PURPLE ROCK DROPPED TO AS LITTLE AS £100. SOME VALUE COULD BE RECOUPED IF THE GEM IS BROKEN UP TO RELEASE SMALLER RUBIES INSIDE, BUT IN ITS CURRENT FORM IT IS SIMPLY A LUMP OF ANYOLITE, A PRACTICALLY WORTHLESS GRADE OF RUBY. THE GEM WAS SOLD OFF BY ADMINISTRATORS LAST WEEK IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECOUP SOME OF WREKIN'S £40 MILLION DEBTS TO THEIR 1,000 CREDITORS. IT WAS BOUGHT BY NETWORK GROUP HOLDINGS WHOSE NETWORK CONSTRUCTION SERVICES IN TELFORD ARE OWED SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS BY WREKIN.

UNWIN PURCHASED THE COCONUT-SIZED STONE FOR £300,000 AND IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY VALUED AT £11 MILLION BY THE INSTITUTI GEMMOLOGICO ITALIANO IN 2007. BUT LAST YEAR AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE RUBY, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE CURSED, WAS PRACTICALLY WORTHLESS AND ITS VALUATION WAS FORGED. THE STONE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY TREVOR MICHAEL HART JONES, A SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSMAN CONVICTED OF ILLEGAL DIAMOND TRADING. THE NOTORIETY OF THE STONE ATTRACTED 60 CLOSED BIDS BEFORE THE 16.DECEMBER DEADLINE AND THE SALE WAS CONFIRMED LAST WEEK. THE NEW OWNERS BELIEVE THE GEM OF TANZANIA WAS A BARGAIN AND MAY STILL FETCH UP TO £2 MILLION WHEN IT'S BROKEN INTO SMALLER GEMS BY A SKILLED JEWELER. THE GEM'S TRUE VALUE WILL REMAIN A MYSTERY UNTIL IT IS CARVED INTO A COLLECTION OF SMALLER STONES AND OFFICIALLY VALUED.

GUND'S $10,000 SNUFFLES BEAR

A UNIQUE ONE OF A KIND PLUSH BEAR RECENTLY CREATED A SENSATION AT THE GUND BOOTH AT THE 2010 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR IN NEW YORK. THE 'SNUFFLES' BEAR IS MADE WITH WHITE ALPACA FUR AND FEATURES BLACK TAHITIAN PEARLS FOR EYES AND WEARS A DAZZLING 10 CARAT DIAMOND NECKLACE WITH A WHITE GOLD CHAIN. THE TOY'S VALUE IS A WHOPPING $10,000, EVIDENCED BY THE BURLY SECURITY GUARD THAT WAS STANDING WATCH OVER THE GLASS DISPLAY CASE. THE GUND SNUFFLES BEAR WILL TOUR THE COUNTRY, SECURITY GUARD IN TOW, BEFORE IT IS PUT UP FOR A CHARITY AUCTION LATER THIS YEAR.

LOCAL COUNCIL 'HIDES' DIANA MEMORABILIA FROM ROYAL VISIT

A LOCAL COUNCIL RECENTLY HID A DISPLAY OF PRINCESS DIANA MEMORABILIA AHEAD OF A VISIT BY PRINCE CHARLES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL. IT WAS A SUBTLY-ORCHESTRATED DISAPPEARING ACT, APPARENTLY DESIGNED TO SPARE ANY AWKWARDNESS FOR PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA, DURING THEIR VISIT TO STOKE CIVIC CENTRE. BUT WHEN IT EMERGED THAT THE COUNCIL REMOVED THE MEMORABILIA DEPICTING CHARLES' WEDDING TO DIANA FROM A DISPLAY CABINET, IT ONLY SERVED TO ADD TO THEIR EMBARRASSMENT. A WEDDING FIGURINE AND THEMED CLOCK WERE THE ONLY ITEMS REMOVED FROM VIEW FOR 'CLEANING' THIS WEEK, LEAVING A 'GAPING HOLE' IN NEAT DISPLAYS IN THE MEMBERS' SUITE, COUNCILORS SAID YESTERDAY. THE DIANA ORNAMENTS WERE AMONG GIFTS PRESENTED TO MAYORS OVER THE YEARS, WHO HAVE THEN GIVEN THEM BACK TO THE STAFFORDSHIRE CITY TO PUT ON SHOW. STOKE CITY COUNCIL INSISTED THE ITEMS HAD BEEN TEMPORARILY REMOVED FOR CLEANING, BUT A COUNCIL WORKER ALLEGEDLY GAVE AN ALTERNATIVE REASON. COUNCILOR PAULINE JOYNSON SAID: 'I SAW THE ITEMS BEING REMOVED LAST WEDNESDAY AND SAID THEY HAD LEFT A LARGE GAP IN THE DISPLAY. WHEN I ASKED WHY I WAS TOLD IT WOULDN'T LOOK RIGHT IF THEY WERE STILL THERE WHEN PRINCE CHARLES VISITED.' JOYNSON ADDED: 'THEY DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING FEATURING DIANA IN THERE WHEN CHARLES VISITED. IT WILL HAVE BEEN SOME BUSYBODY IN THE COUNCIL THAT HAS DONE IT. I WAS OFFENDED WHEN THEY DID IT. I DON'T LIKE WHAT THEY'VE DONE HERE AT ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHO TOOK THEM OUT BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY A COUNCIL WORKER AND IT WAS JUST THE DIANA ITEMS THAT WERE TAKEN OUT. THEY SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO REMOVE HISTORY LIKE THAT.' THE ROYAL COUPLE ARE DUE I STOKE ON TRENT LATER THIS WEEK FOR A TOUR IN CELEBRATION OF 100 YEARS OF LINKS BETWEEN SIX TOWNS IN THE AREA. VETERAN COUNCILOR MICK SALIH, WHO HAS SERVED ON THE COUNCIL FOR 15 YEARS, ADDED: 'I THINK SOMEONE HAS BEEN TOLD TO REMOVE THEM TO SPARE THE PRINCE'S EMBARRASSMENT. THEY SHOULDN'T REMOVE THINGS LIKE THAT, IT'S LIKE CENSORSHIP. SHE WAS A BIG PART OF THIS COUNTRY AND VERY MUCH A SYMBOL OF BRITAIN, WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF.' AFTER BEING CONTACTED BY LOCAL NEWSPAPERS, THE COUNCIL RETURNED THE ORNAMENTS TO THE DISPLAY.

SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALY PLAZA ACQUIRES NEWLT RELEASED KENNEDY VIDEO

GARY MACK, CURATOR AT THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALY PLAZA, DALLAS, TX, IS CALLING IT 'THE BEST HOME MOVIE KNOWN TO EXIST OF THE KENNEDY ARRIVAL IN DALLAS ON 22.NOVEMBER.1963' THAT HE HAS EVER SEEN. FOR THE FIRST TIME, COLOUR FILM AND NEW GLIMPSES OF PRESIDENT AND MRS KENNEDY ARRIVING ON AIR FORCE ONE ON THE FATEFUL DAY IN BEING RELEASED FOR PUBLIC VIEWING. ON 22.NOVEMBER.1963, LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS WERE BROADCASTING COVERAGE OF THE KENNEDY ARRIVAL AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AIRPORT. AT THE TIME, MEDIA OUTLETS NATIONWIDE WERE PRIMARILY USING ONLY BLACK AND WHITE VIDEO AND MOVIE CAMERAS. EXCEPT FOR ONE WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER, WHOSE BRIEF FILM REMAINED UNRELEASED FOR YEARS, THE ONLY COLOUR IMAGES OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY IN DALLAS WERE MADE BY AMATEURS FILMING THEIR PERSONAL VIEWS OF THE FIRST FAMILY. THERE WERE MANY, PERHAPS 100 OR MORE, CAMERAS AT LOVE FIELD AND ALONG THE MOTORCADE ROUTE THAT DAY. THE VAST MAJORITY HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BY THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING AMATEUR FILM SOT BY WILLIAM WARD WARREN OF DALLAS. WARREN NOW 61, WAS 15 AT THE TIME OD THE ASSASSINATION. STUDENTS WERE GIVEN THE DAY OFF OF SCHOOL FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL VISIT, SO HE DECIDED TO TAKE HIS CAMERA TO CAPTURE THE ARRIVAL AT LOVE FIELD. WARREN HAS DONATED THE 8mm HOME MOVIE TO THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALY PLAZA. 'VIEWING THIS FOOTAGE MAKES YOU THINK AS THOUGH YOU'RE STANDING NEST TO WARREN AS HE'S FILING IT ON THAT VERY DAY', MACK SAID. 'MANY BELIEVE THAT THEIR IMAGES CAPTURED ON 22.NOVEMBER.1963 AREN'T IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY DON'T SHOW THE ASSASSINATION. THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM'S INTEREST IS PRESERVATION AND HOPING THE IMAGES MAY HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT TEH KENNEDY VISIT IN ITS ENTIRETY, NOT JUST TEH ASSASSINATION.'

TESTS SHOW TUTANKHAMEN DIED FROM MALARIA INFECTION

KING TUTANKHAMEN, THE TEEN-AGED PHARAOH WHOSE EGYPTIAN TOMB YIELDED DAZZLING TREASURES, LIMPED AROUND ON TENDER BONES AND A CLUB FOOT AND MOST LIKELY DIED FROM MALARIA, RESEARCHERS SAID TUESDAY. THERE HAS BEEN SPECULATION ABOUT THE FATE OF THE BOY KING, WHO DIED SOMETIME AROUND 1324 BC PROBABLY AROUND THE AGE OF 19, SINCE THE 1922 DISCOVERY OF HIS INTACT TOMB IN EGYPT'S VALLEY OF THE KINGS. TESTS PERFORMED ON 16 ROYAL MUMMIES FOUND FOUR, INCLUDING TUT, HAD CONTRACTED A SEVERE FORM OF MALARIA THAT LIKELY CUT SHORT TUT'S REIGN, RULING OUT MURDER OF SOME OTHER SICKNESS. SCIENTISTS FROM EGYPT, GERMANY AND ELSEWHERE, INCLUDING ZAHI HAWASS OF EGYPT'S SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES, COMPILES RESULTS FROM GENETIC AND RADIOLOGICAL TESTING PERFORMED OM THE MUMMIES BETWEEN 2007 AND 2009. THE RESULTS CLARIFY DETAILS ABOUT THE 155 YEAR LONG DYNASTY THAT INCLUDED TUTANKHAMEN, WHO INHERITED THE THRONE AT AGE 11. THE SCIENTISTS SPECULATED TUT WAS WEAKENED BY A BROKEN LEG POSSIBLY FROM A FALL. THAT AND THE MALARIA INFECTION LED TO HIS DEATH, THEY BELIEVE. TUT WAS AFFLICTED WITH A CLEFT PALATE. MILD CLUBFOOT IN HIS LEFT FOOT AND OTHER BONE AILMENTS. HE AND SOME FAMILY MEMBERS HAD A FORM OF KOHLER DISEASE, WHICH CAN CAUSE FOOT N=BONES TO COLLAPSE FROM LACK OF BLOOD BUT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FATAL. BESIDES THE PRICELESS GOLD ARTIFACTS FOUND IN TUT'S TOMB, HE WAS ALSO EQUIPPED FOR THE AFTERLIFE WITH SOME 130 CANES AND STAVES, SOME OF WITH SIGNS OF WEAR, AND A VERITABLE PHARMACY.

14,000 OBJECTS BELONGING TO JUAN AND EVITA TO BE AUCTIONED

MORE THAN 14,000 OBJECTS BELONGING TO THE LATE ARGENTINE PRESIDENT JUAN DOMINGO PERON AND HIS SECOND WIFE, EVITA, ARE TO BE AUCTIONED OFF BEGINNING MONDAY IN ORDER TO COLLECT MORE THAN $20 MILLION FOR HUMANITARIAN CAUSES. A BOOK BY HISTORIAN FELIX LUNA DEDICATED TO THE GENERAL AND CORRECTED THROUGHOUT BY PERON, AND A LIMOGES PORCELAIN JEWELRY BOX THAT WAS A GIFT OF DANCER JOSEPHINE BAKER, ARE A COUPLE OF THE PIECES TO BE AUCTIONED DURING THE COMING MONTHS VIA THE INTERNET. THE AUCTION KICKED OFF WITH 41 LOTS, WHICH CAN BE ACQUIRED WHOLE OR PIECE BY PIECE, AND EACH WEEK NEW GOOD WILL BE ADDED UNTIL ALL THE PIECES HAVE BEEN PUT ON SALE, WHICH WILL TAKE AN ESTIMATED THREE MONTHS, THE ORGANIZER AND PRESIDENT OF THE PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG PEOPLE FOUNDATION. MARIO ROTUNDO, TOLD EFE IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. AMONG THE PIECES TO BE MADE AVAILABLE ARE AN INFINITY OF BOOKS THAT BELONGED TO PERON'S PERSONAL LIBRARY, RECORD COLLECTIONS, FORMAL WEAR, HOUSEHOLD GOODS, FURNITURE, GIFTS RECEIVED, DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, AMONG MANY OTHER OBJECTS, MANY OF THEM ASSOCIATED WITH SPAIN "FROM THE MANY YEARS PERON LIVED IN EXILE THERE', ROTUNDO SAID. PERON (1895-1974), WHO WAS PRESIDENT DE ARGENTINA FROM 1946-1955 AND AGAIN IN 1973-74, CALLED SPAIN HOME FOR 12 OF THE 17 YEARS THAT HE HAD TO REMAIN OUTSIDE HIS BELOVED COUNTRY AFTER THE MILITARY COUP THAT DEPOSED HIM IN 1955. HIGHLIGHTS AMONG THE SPANISH OBJECTS ARE TWO FANS GIVEN TO EVITA, WHO DIED IN 1952 AT THE AGE OF 33, BY SPANISH FLAMENCO SINGER MIGUEL DE MOLINA AND PLAYWRIGHT JACINTO DE BENAVENTE. THE OBJECTS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF ARE THE FRUITS OF AN 'ARDUOUS LABOR' OF RECOVERING THE EX-PRESIDENT'S GOODS. ALTHOUGH SOME PIECES WERE DONATED VOLUNTARILY BY THOSE WHO TAKEN POSSESSION OF THEM IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, GETTING BACK MANY OF THEM ENTAILED TAKING LEGAL ACTION.

RALPH LAUREN RICKY 33 BAG

RALPH LAUREN HAS RELEASED YET ANOTHER STUNNING CREATION, AND THIS ONE DRAWS IT INSPIRATION FROM A VINTAGE COOPER SADDLE CARRIER. THE RICKY 33 BAG, WHICH IS HAND-MADE BY LEATHER ARTISANS IN ITALY, IS MADE OUT OF EXOTIC AFRICAN CROCODILE SKIN, DYED IN A LUXURIOUS RED. THE INTERIOR OF THE BAG IS LINED WITH GLOVE LEATHER AND FEATURES SEVERAL SEVERAL COMPARTMENTS FOR ITEMS SUCH AS MOBILE PHONE, WALLET AND KEYS. A BRASS NAMEPLATE SET INSIDE CAN BE DETACHED TO ADD A PERSONAL ENGRAVING. THE BAG IS 13 INCHES WIDE, 10.5 INCHES TALL AND 7 INCHES DEEP, AND IS FINISHED WITH CUSTOM SILVER AND RHODIUM-PLATED BRASS HARDWARE. THE FLAP CLOSURE COMES WITH A LOGO-ENGRAVED FUNCTIONAL COOPER LOCK AND TWO KEYS WITH A REMOVABLE BELT ATTACHED TO THE FRONT STRAP. THE UNIQUE RALPH LAUREN RICKY 33 BAG IS PRICED AT $16,995.

NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME PRESENTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN O'KEEFFE EXHIBITION

THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME, FORTH WORTH, TX, IS PRESENTING A NEVER BEFORE SEEN GEORGIA O'KEEFFE AND THE FARAWAY: NATURE AND IMAGE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE DISPLAYED THROUGH TO 6.SEPTEMBER.2010. THE EXHIBITION, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME AND THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM IN SANTA FE, EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP THAT ARTIST AND COWGIRL HALL OF FAME HONOREE O'KEEFFE HAD WITH NATURE THROUGH HER CAMPING EXPERIENCES AND ARTIFACTS. THE TWO MUSEUMS SPENT MORE THAN TWO YEARS CREATING THE EXHIBITION IN WHICH VISITORS WILL FIND O'KEEFFE'S PERSONAL EFFECTS, INCLUDING CLOTHING, LETTERS, DRAWINGS AND CAMPING EQUIPMENT, DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE HER ARTWORK. THIS UNION OF ARTISTRY AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS IS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS AN ENDEAVOR THAT HARBORS THE ART, GEOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY AND ARTIFACTS IN AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND HOW O'KEEFFE EXPLORED THE AMERICAN WEST THROUGH CAMPING AND HIKING IN A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTS.
THE EXHIBITION BEGINS WITH THE ARTIST'S EARLY CAMPING YEARS AS A YOUNG TEACHER IN VIRGINIA. THE VISITOR THEN PROGRESSES TO AN AREA RESERVED FOR HER WORK IN NEW MEXICO AND PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ANSEL ADAMS, WHO SPENT SEVERAL TRIPS CAMPING WITH O'KEEFFE. AFTER VIEWING SOME OF THE ARTWORKS ON LOAN FROM THE AMON CARTER MUSEUM AND THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM, GUESTS CAN EXPLORE A SIGNIFICANT LOCATION IN O'KEEFFE'S CAMPING EXPERIENCE KNOWN AS THE 'BLACK PLACE'. THIS SPECIFIC AREA WILL GIVE VISITORS THE CHANCE TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE SITE THROUGH CAMPING DISPLAYS, A LARGE SCENIC PHOTOGRAPH OF THE AREA, AND A VIDEO DOCUMENTARY. THE EXHIBITION THE TRANSITIONS TO THE 'WHITE PLACE', A REMOTE LOCATION NEAR ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO, AND INCLUDES A SKETCHBOOK COMPLETED BY O'KEEFFE OF THE AREA. THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM EXHIBITION IN UNIQUE IN THAT IT OFFERS A PERSPECTIVE IN WHICH VISITORS CAN VIEW O'KEEFFE ALONGSIDE THE OTHER EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN WHO CAME AND LIVED IN THE WEST, AND MADE A DIFFERENCE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.cowgirl.net/

CHOPIN VODKA UNVEILS A 200 LITER BOTTLE TO CELEBRATE CHOPINS 200th BIRTHDAY

TO CELEBRATE THE 200th BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY OF COMPOSER FREDERICK CHOPIN, SUPER LUXURY POLISH POTATO VODKA MAKERS, CHOPIN HAVE RECENTLY UNVEILED A 200 LITER BOTTLE OF VODKA. TOUTED AS A GREAT MARKETING IDEA TO PROMOTE THE BRAND, THE STUNNING BOTTLE OF VODKA WAS UNVEILED THIS WEEK AT THE SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. OSCAR-NOMINATED ACTRESS SANDRA BULLOCK WAS THE FIRST CELEBRITY SIGNER TO SIGN THE GIGANTIC BOTTLE. THE AUTOGRAPHED BOTTLE WILL TOUR THE US BEFORE BEING AUCTIONED OFF FOR CHARITY, WITH ALL THE PROCEEDS GATHERED FROM THE SALE TO BE GIVEN TO THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION'S MUSIC PRESERVATION PROJECT.

ROYAL RESIDENCE IN MINIATURE

THE ROYAL RESIDENCE IN MINIATURE IS A 16th CENTURY STYLE DOLL'S HOUSE MADE WITH GOLD, CRYSTAL, SILVER AND WOOD FITTINGS. WHEN ONE LOOKS CLOSELY THIS AMAZING PALACE TRULY LOOKS FIT FOR A KING, BUT THE INCREDIBLE STRUCTURE IS ONLY 42 INCHES HIGH AND HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY PUT TOGETHER BY PROFESSIONAL DOLL HOUSE MAKERS. THE AWE-INSPIRING MINIATURE SCALE OF THE STUNNING RESIDENCE IS MADE OF CLEAR BY LIFE-SIZE SPECTACLES, BOOKS, FOUNTAIN PENS AND EVEN A BOTTLE OF COFFEE LIQUEUR. MATCHES IN ONE OF THE HOME'S FIRE PLACES AND A POT OF MUSTARD ALSO GIVES ONLOOKERS A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE. 'CHATEAU ANTOINETTE' ASTONISHINGLY REFLECTS THE LAVISH LIFE OF HISTORIC FRENCH ROYALTY. IT FEATURES FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS MADE OF REAL CRYSTAL, GOLD, LUXURY WOODS, SOLID STERLING SILVER AND GENUINE TINY OIL PAINTINGS CRAFTED BY REAL ARTISTS. BRITISH COUPLE KEVIN MULVANY AND SUSIE ROGERS, OF MULVANY AND ROGERS, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE EXPENSIVE DOLL HOUSES EVER MADE. THEY ARE FAMED FOR THEIR ONE-TWELFTH SCALE RECREATIONS OF EXISTING STATELY HOMES AND CASTLES, WHICH THEY BUILD IN THEIR HOUSE IN HOLT, WILTSHIRE. BUT FOR THEIR LATEST SPECTACULAR PROJECT, FOR A CALIFORNIAN COLLECTOR PASSIONATE ABOUT MARIE ANTOINETTE, THEY FUSED PLACES LINKED WITH THE INFAMOUS FEMALE MONARCH WHO WAS EXECUTED DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1793. INCLUDED IN THE MIX ARE VERSAILLES PALACE, THE CHATEAU DE BAGATELLE AND THE PALACE OF FONTAINBLEAU. BETWEEN SUSIE, KEVIN AND TEN OTHER MODELERS WORKING ON THE HOME'S DETAILED FEATURES, CHATEAU ANTOINETTE HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY PUT TOGETHER OVER 10,000 MAN HOURS. THE CHANDELIERS COST OVER £1,000 EACH WHILE £200 WAS SPENT ON GOLD GILT AROUND THE DADO RAILS AND WALL BORDERS.


THROUGH THEIR 25 YEARS OF MAKING MINIATURES. MASTER MODELERS SUSIE AND KEVIN HAVE
TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF MILES VISITING THE PLACES THE REBUILD IN REDUCED SIZE. FULLY DEDICATED TO GETTING EVERYTHING PERFECT, THEY EVEN PUT REAL DUST IN THE CORNERS, REAL SOOT IN THE FIREPLACE AND LEAVE WAXY CANDLES BURNING TO MAKE THEIR MODELS SMELL THE SAME AS THE REAL THING. USING ESSENTIAL OILS THEY CAN CREATE ODORS EXACTLY LIKE THE ONES THEY EXPERIENCE WHILE VISITING THE REAL VENUES THEMSELVES. AND THEIR QUEST FOR ACCURACY FOR THE MODEL-MAKERS SPARED NO EXPENSE IN PRODUCING THE SIX ROOM MASTERPIECE. THE HOME'S TEENY OIL PAINTINGS WERE CREATED NY REAL ARTISTS AND COST AS MUCH AS LIFE-SIZED ARTWORK, RUNNING INTO THE THOUSANDS. HIGHLIGHTS IN THE AMAZING HOME INCLUDE A DINING TABLE MADE FROM MAHOGANY LAID WITH STERLING SLIVER CUTLERY CASED ON A REAL 16th CENTURY SET. THE DINNER FORKS MEASURE 16mm LONG WHILE THE SHORTER DESERT FORKS ARE JUST 12mm. ALSO ON THE TABLES ARE HAND-PAINTED PORCELAIN SEVRES PLATES AND REAL GLASS GOBLETS. A YEAR IN THE MAKING, THE HOME IS LIT BY MINUSCULE 'GRAIN OF WHEAT BULBS' TO GIVE THE EFFECT OF CANDLE LIGHTING TRUE TO THE ERA THE HOUSE REPRESENTS.

DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS 'FASTER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAROLD EDGERTON'

THE DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS 'FASTER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAROLD EDGERTON', FEATURING 18 PHOTOGRAPHS PRODUCED AT ULTRA HIGH-SPEED, ON VIEW UNTIL 25.APRIL.2010. DR HAROLD "DOC" EDGERTON REDEFINED THE LIMITS OF VISION, SHOWING THINGS INVISIBLE TO THE UNAIDED EYE BY STOPPING TIME AND MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO WITNESS SPLIT SECONDS. PRODUCED WITH A STROBE LIGHT, WHICH HE INVENTED, EDGERTON'S EXPOSURES COULD BE AS BRIEF AS 1/1,000,000 OF A SECOND, ALLOWING HIM TO CAPTURE A BULLET PIERCING AN APPLE OR A HUMMINGBIRD IN FLIGHT. PUBLISHED IN LIFE MAGAZINE AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND DISPLAYED FREQUENTLY AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE AMAZED MILLIONS SINCE THE LATE 1930s. AND ALTHOUGH HE PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE SERVICE OF SCIENTIFIC AND COMMERCIAL RESEARCH, EDGERTON APPRECIATED THE IMPORTANCE OF AESTHETICS TO CREATE WONDER AND COMMUNICATE IDEAS. FOR 25 YEARS HE LABORED TO GET THE PERFECT PICTURE OF A MILK DROP AND THE CORONET CREATED BY ITS SPLASH, THE RESULTING 1957 PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMILIAR IMAGES OF MODERN VISUAL CULTURE. THE ENDURING APPEAL OF EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS RESULTS FROM HIS COMBINATION OS TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND VISUAL ALLURE. CLEAR. SCIENTIFIC AND EXCITING, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PRODUCTS OF AMERICAN INGENUITY THAT DEMONSTRATE FAITH IN TECHNOLOGY TO REVEAL TRUTH AND IMPROVE LIFE. FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF 2010, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE DELIGHTFULLY PRE-DIGITAL, THEY DATE FROM A TIME WHEN PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ROUTINELY EQUATED WITH TRUTHFULNESS.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 'RENOIR IN THE 20th CENTURY'

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) PRESENTS RENOIR IN THE 20th CENTURY, AN EXHIBITION FOCUSING ON THE LAST THREE DECADES OF PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR'S CAREER, UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1919. THE EXHIBITION PRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 80 PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES AND DRAWINGS BY RENOIR, INTERSPERSED WITH SELECT WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO, MATISSE, ARISTIDE MAILLOL AND PIERRE BONNARD, TO ILLUSTRATE THE DEVELOPING AVANT GARDE'S DEBT TO THE OLDER MASTER. THE SHOW OFFERS AN UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT RENOIR THROUGH THE LENS OF MODERNISM, BRIDGING THE PERCEIVED DIVIDE BETWEEN THE ART OF THE LATE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE REUNION DES MUSEES NATIONAUX, THE MUSEE D'ORSY AND LACMA, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 14.FEBRUARY TO 9.MAY.2010. DURING THE LAST 30 YEARS OF HIS CAREER, RENOIR MOVED FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO AN ART AIMING TO BE DECORATIVE, CONTINUE THE GREAT TRADITION OF EUROPEAN PAINTING, AND BE MODERN, ALL AT ONCE. THE RESULTING PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES BECAME AN ENDURING SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO A GENERATION OF YOUNGER ARTISTS WHO WERE FEELING THEIR WAY INTO MODERNISM IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.lacma.org

CONWAY STEWART VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION PEN

CONWAY STEWART HAS RECENTLY DESIGNED A NEW PEN JUST FOR VALENTINE'S DAY. THE 'VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION' IS MADE OF RICH RED RESIN LACQUER AND STERLING SILVER WITH A LARGE 18 CARAT GOLD NIB. CAREFULLY DESIGNED AND BALANCED FOR AMAZINGLY SMOOTH AND EFFORTLESS WRITING, THE CLEAN CONTEMPORARY DESIGN IS ACCENTED WITH SMALL ENGRAVINGS OF ROMANTIC SHAKESPEAREAN LOVE SONNETS. THE ROMANCE CONTINUES ALL THROUGH THE PACKAGING WITH A SMALL BOOK OF SONNETS, A CALLIGRAPHIC COPY OF THE LOVE SONNETS ENGRAVED ON THE PEN AND A BOTTLE OF RED INK ALL INCLUDED IN A PRETTY BLACK SATIN-LINED BOX. LIMITED TO ONLY 50 PIECES AND SELLING FOR AN ESTIMATED $750, THE CONWAY STEWART VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION PEN IS THE PERFECT GIFT FOR WRITING WORDS OF LOVE.

CAR SLAMS INTO FAMED TIFFANY'S STOREFRONT

AN OFF DUTY POLICEMAN AND TWO OF HIS PASSENGERS WERE INJURED IN A DRINK-DRIVE ACCIDENT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WHEN THEIR CAR FLIPPED OVER AND SLAMMED INTO TIFFANY'S ICONIC MIDTOWN STOREFRONT, A POLICES SPOKESPERSON SAID. POLICE OFFICER RAPHAEL OSPINA WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN HIS LUXURY CAR PLOWED INTO A GARBAGE TRUCK AT THE CORNER OF 57th STREET AND 5th AVENUE, BEFORE CAREENING ONTO THE SIDEWALK AT 3am. BLOOD WAS SPATTERED THROUGHOUT THE INSIDE OF THE CRUMPLED CHRYSLER 300, BUT WHILE ALL THREE MEN HAD BEEN RUSHED TO HOSPITAL, THEIR INJURIES WERE NOT CONSIDERED LIFE-THREATENING, ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS. A CHAMPAGNE CORK AND A CARTON OF ORANGE JUICE WAS SPOTTED INSIDE THE CAR, WHICH HAD ITS WINDSCREEN SHATTERED IN THE CRASH AD ITS ROOF CUT OFF BY FIREFIGHTERS RESCUING THE MEN TRAPPED INSIDE. OSPINA WAS CHARGED WITH DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED AND VEHICULAR ASSAULT, POLICE SAID. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE A GARBAGE TRUCK WAS TRAVELING WEST ON 57th STREET AND TURNED ONTO FIFTH WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE CHRYSLER. THE SPINNING SEDAN WAS PROPELLED ONTO THE SIDEWALK WHERE IT KNOCKED OVER A TREE AND GARBAGE BIN BEFORE COMING TO REST PARTIALLY LODGED IN TIFFANY'S HISTORIC MARBLE FACADE, CAUSING MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE ENTRANCE AND WINDOW DISPLAY CASES.