11.9.10

CHRISTIE'S EXPECTS TO SELL BULGARI DIAMOND RING FOR HISTORIC $12 MILLION


ON 20.OCTOBER, AS THE LEAD HIGHLIGHT OF ITS FAMOUS ANNUAL JEWELS: THE NEW YORK SALE, CHRISTIE'S WILL BE OFFERING THE BULGARI BLUE DIAMOND, A STUNNING TWO-STONE DIAMOND RING DESIGNED BY ROME'S LEGENDARY LUXURY JEWELER BULGARI IN THE 1970s THAT'S EXPECTED TO FETCH OVER $12 MILLION. THE RING FEATURES TWO EXTREMELY PRECIOUS STONES; A TRIANGULAR-SHAPED, COLOURLESS DIAMOND OF 9.97 CARATS PAIRED WITH A STUNNING TRIANGULAR-SHAPED FANCY VIVID BLUE DIAMOND WEIGHING IN AT A STELLAR 10.95 CARATS, THE LARGEST FANCY VIVID BLUE DIAMOND OF THIS CUT EVER TO BE OFFERED AT AUCTION. FANCY VIVID DIAMONDS OF THIS SIZE ARE AMONG THE RAREST OF THE COLOURED DIAMONDS, ONLY ONE IN ABOUT 10 MILLION WILL POSSESS A COLOUR PURE ENOUGH TO QUALIFY AS 'FANCY VIVID'. THE RING WILL BE PRICE UPON REQUEST FOR PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS, BUT IS EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE IN EXCESS OF $12 MILLION AND IS POSITIONED TO BECOME ONE OF THE TOP-SELLING DIAMONDS AT AUCTION IN 2010. THE RING IS BEING OFFERED BY A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR WHO HAS KEPT IT IN HIS FAMILY FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS.

PRINCE CHARLES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL ENJOT ECO-FESTIVAL


THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WERE LEFT SPEECHLESS AND IN TEARS BY THE SIGHT, AND SOUND, OF A 'CAT ORGAN'. THEY CAME ACROSS THE UNUSUAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DURING A VISIT TO AN AMBITIOUS ECO-FESTIVAL STAGED IN LONDON BUT WERE UNPREPARED FOR THE LEVELS OF LAUGHTER IT INDUCED. THE PRINCE OFTEN ENJOYS A JOKE WHEN HE MEETS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC BUT WAS LEFT LAUGHING UNCONTROLLABLY BY THE PERFORMANCE BY SOUND SCULPTOR HENRY DAGG. THE MUSICIAN PLAYED FOR THE ROYAL COUPLE AS THEY TOURED CHARLES' 12 DAY ECO-GARDEN PARTY STAGED ON THE GROUNDS OF THREE ADJOINING HISTORIC HOUSES; CLARENCE, LANCASTER AND MARLBOROUGH. AT FIRST DAGG EVOKED LAUGHTER FROM CHARLES AND CAMILLA WITH THE RENDITION OF A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE PLAYED ON A SAW WITH A BOW. BUT FOR THE ENCORE HE BROUGHT OUT HIS 'CAT ORGAN', CONSISTING OF A ROW OF 16 SQUEAKY TOY CATS, AND PLAYED SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, THE TUNE MADE FAMOUS BY JUDY GARLAND. THE PRINCE WAS LEFT RED-CHEEKED, IN A FIT OF GIGGLES AND WIPING AWAY TEARS AS THE MUSICIAN, DRESSED IN A BOW TIE AND WAISTCOAT, SQUEAKED THE ANIMALS. DAGG WAS UNFAZED ABOUT THE REACTION TO THE SOUND HE DESCRIBED AS A 'CAT-COPHONY' AND SAID: 'IT'S NICE TO MAKE PRINCE CHARLES GIGGLE A BIT.' THE DUCHESS FOUND SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT WHEN PERFORMERS FROM THE HIT BBC SHOW STRICTLY COME DANCING, A FAVORITE WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY, TOOK TO AN UNUSUAL STAGE. CAMILLA SCRE DALLERUP AND IAN WHITE DANCE JIVE ON A SUSTAINABLE DANCE FLOOR WHERE GENERATORS IN THE FLOOR TURNED THEIR MOVEMENTS INTO ELECTRICITY TO POWER LEDs BELOW THEIR FEET. THE DUCHESS, WHO BROKE HER LEFT ANKLE EARLIER THIS YEAR, DECLINED AN OFFER TO DANCE. WAITE SAID: 'I WAS HOPING TO DANCE WITH TWO CAMILLAS BUT SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BECAUSE OF HER ANKLE.' THE COUPLE SPENT AROUND TWO HOURS TOURING THE CARIOUS EXHIBITS AND STALLS AND EVEN FOUND TIME TO TRY A HAND AT SEWING WHEN THEY HELPED TO MAKE BAGS FROM RECYCLED CLOTH. PRINCE CHARLES DONATED CURTAIN MATERIAL FROM HIS LONDON HOME, CLARENCE HOUSE, AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE TO MORSBAGS ORGANIZATION WHICH RUNS THE SCHEME.

TATE LIVERPOOL TO PRESENT 'RENE MAGRITTE: THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE'


BELGIAN SURREALIST REBE MAGRITTE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND REVERED ARTISTS OF THE 20th CENTURY. A MAJOR NEW EXHIBITION PRESENTED BY THE TATE LIVERPOOL IN THE SUMMER OF 2011 WILL REVEAL THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE ARTIST'S UNIQUE STYLE, HIGHLIGHTING HOW HIS PRACTICE CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE LATER GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS, RESONATING BEYOND SURREALISM TO INFORM THE LANGUAGE OF POP AND CONCEPTUAL ART. DESCRIBED AS A 'CREATOR OF IMAGES', MAGRITTE ONCE STATED THAT THERE IS 'VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEEING A WORK IN REPRODUCTION AND LOOKING AT THE REAL THING'. TAKING A THEMATIC RATHER THAN A CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH, 'RENE MAGRITTE: THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE', WILL EXPLORE THIS NOTION AND CONSIDER THE COMPOSITIONAL AND CONCEPTUAL STRATEGIES USED BY THE ARTIST THROUGHOUT HIS LONG CAREER. MAJOR PAINTINGS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD WILL BE FEATURED ALONGSIDE DRAWINGS, COLLAGES, EXAMPLES OF HIS COMMERCIAL WORK AND RARELY SEEN PHOTOGRAPHS AND FILMS. MAGRITTE WAS HEAVILY INSPIRED IN HIS PAINTERLY WORK BY MASS MARKET LITERATURE AND POPULAR CULTURE. HE APPROPRIATED COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE IMAGERY: THE ICONIC WORK MAN WITH A NEWSPAPER FOR EXAMPLE, WITH ITS SPLIT SCREE 'COMIC BOOK' FORMAT, WAS BASED ON AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A GERMAN HEALTH MANUAL. HIS COMPOSITIONAL DEVISES, WHICH WILL BE EXPLORED IN THE EXHIBITION, WERE DERIVED BY ADVERTISING, SHOP WINDOW DISPLAY AND HIS WORK AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER IN THE EARLY 1920s. THE CAREFUL FRAMING OF VISTAS AND MONUMENTALISATION OF SIMPLE OBJECTS HE EMPLOYED IN HIS COMMERCIAL DESIGNS WERE MODIFIED AND REFINED IN HIS PAINTINGS. RENOWNED FOR HIS MYSTERIOUS AND DEADPAN IMAGERY, MAGRITTE DEPICTED BANAL OBJECTS SUCH AS PIPES, APPLES AND UMBRELLAS IN INCONGRUOUS SETTINGS. HIS WORKS EVOKE THE IDEA OF AN UNFATHOMABLE REALITY WHILST COMPLICATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMAGE, REPRESENTATION AND MEANING. THE EXHIBITION IS ORGANIZED BY TATE LIVERPOOL IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ALBERTINA, VIENNA WHERE IT WILL BE PRESENTED FROM 8.NOVEMBER.2011 TO 26.FEBRUARY.2012.

10.9.10

See Cristiano Ronaldo in Housekeeping (teaser from the video)

SOTHEBY'S TO SELL RARE AUDUBON 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' BOOK


A RARE COPY OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON'S 'BIRDS OF AMERICA', BILLED AS THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK, IS UP FOR SALE ALONGSIDE A FIRST EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS AT AN AUCTION TO SET BOOK LOVERS' PULSES RACING, SOTHEBY'S SAID THURSDAY. ONE OF ONLY 100 OR SO REMAINING COPIES OF 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' IS VALUED AT $6.2-9.2 MILLION, WHILE A SHAKESPEARE FIRST FOLIO FROM 1623 IS EXPECTED TO FETCH AT LEAST $1.54 MILLION. SOTHEBY'S BOOKS EXPERT DAVID GOLDTHORPE SAID THE TWO TOMES ARE 'THE TWIN PEAKS OF BOOK COLLECTING', THE BOOKS COME FROM THE ESTATE OF THE 2nd BARON HESKETH, AN ARISTOCRAT BOOK COLLECTOR WHO DIED IN 1955. THE AUCTION HOUSE IS SELLING THEM IN LONDON ON 7.DECEMBER. ANOTHER COMPLETE COPY OF 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' WAS SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S FOR $8.8 MILLION IN 2000, A RECORD FOR A PRINTED BOOK AT AUCTION. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, AND BEAUTIFUL, PUBLISHED WORKS OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND RARELY COMES UP FOR SALE. ONLY 119 COPIES REMAIN, AND ALL BUT A HANDFUL ARE IN MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND UNIVERSITIES. THE COLLECTION OF 435 HAND-COLOURED PRINTS, MADE FROM ENGRAVINGS OF AUDUBON'S ILLUSTRATIONS, MEASURES MORE THAN 3 FEET BY 2 FEET BECAUSE AUDUBON WANTED TO PAINT THE BIRDS LIFE SIZE. A PIONEERING FRENCH-AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGIST AND ENTREPRENEUR WHOSE BUSINESS VENTURES TOOK HIS ACROSS THE EXPANDING UNITED STATES, AUDUBON CAME TO BRITAIN IN 1826 AFTER FAILING TO RAISE MONEY TO PRINT HIS BOOK IN AMERICA. HIS OUTDOORS-MAN IMAGE AND VIVID ILLUSTRATIONS MADE A STRONG IMPRESSION. AUDUBON SOLD THE BOOK ON A SUBSCRIPTION BASIS TO WEALTHY COLLECTORS. THE COPY FOR SALE WAS NO.11, BOUGHT BY PALEONTOLOGIST HENRY WITHAM.

SISTINE CHAPEL IN DANGER DUE TO POLLUTANTS


THE VATICAN MUSEUMS CHIEF WARNED THAT DUST AND POLLUTING AGENTS BROUGHT INTO THE SISTINE CHAPEL BY THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS EVERY DAY RISK ONE DAY ENDANGERING ITS PRICELESS ARTWORKS. ANTONIO PAOLUCCI TOLD THE NEWSPAPER LA REPUBBLICA IN COMMENTS PUBLISHED THURSDAY THAT IN ORDER TO PRESERVE MICHELANGELO'S LAST JUDGMENT AND OTHER TREASURES IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL, NEW TOOLS TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY MUST BE STUDIED AND IMPLEMENTED. BETWEEN 15,000 AND 20,000 PEOPLE A DAY, OR OVER 4 MILLION A YEAR, VISIT THE CHAPEL WHERE POPES GET ELECTED, TO ADMIRE ITS FRESCOES, FLOOR MOSAICS AND PAINTINGS. 'IN THIS CHAPEL PEOPLE OFTEN INVOKE THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO FILL THIS ROOM EVERY DAY AREN'T PURE SPIRITS', PAOLUCCI TOLD THE NEWSPAPER. SUCH A CROWD... EMANATES SWEAT, BREATH, CARBON DIOXIDE, ALL SORTS OF DUST', HE SAID. 'THIS DEADLY COMBINATION IS MOVED AROUND BY WINDS AND ENDS UP ON THE WALLS, MEANING ON THE ARTWORK.' PAOLUCI SAID BETTER TOOLS WERE NECESSARY TO AVOID 'SERIOUS DAMAGE' TO THE CHAPEL. VISITORS WHO WANT TO SEE LEONARDO DA VINCI'S 'THE LAST SUPPER' IN MILAN MUST GO THROUGH A FILTRATION SYSTEM TO HELP REDUCE THE WORK'S EXPOSURE TO DUST AND POLLUTANTS. THIS HAS MADE SEEING DA VINCI'S MASTERPIECE MORE DIFFICULT: 25 VISITORS ARE ADMITTED EVERY 15 MINUTES. THE SISTINE CHAPEL, FEATURING WORKS BY MICHELANGELO, BOTTICELLI AND PERUGINO, UNDERWENT A MASSIVE RESTORATION THAT ENDED IN THE LATE 1990s. THE RESTORATION WAS CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE SOME CRITICS SAID THE REFURBISHING MADE THE COLOURS BRIGHTER THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED.

BONHAMS TO SELL GRIMA JEWELRY COLLECTION


THE FIRST AUCTION TO FOCUS ON THE WORK OF THE ICONIC JEWELER, ANDREW GRIMA, SINCE HIS DEATH IN 2007 WILL PREVIEW AT BONHAMS IN LONDON 19-21.SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE FINE JEWELRY SALE AT BONHAMS NEW YORK ON 19.OCTOBER. GRIMA WAS THE FOREMOST MODERN JEWELRY DESIGNER IN THE LONDON'S WEST END IN THE 1960s AND 1970s WITH CLIENTS INCLUDING QUEEN ELIZABETH, PRINCESS MARGARET AND JACQUELINE ONASSIS. GRIMA GAINED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOLLOWING THE EXHIBITION OF INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY IN 1966 AND IN 1966 HE OPENED HIS FAMOUS SHOP IN JERMYN STREET, ST JAMES. GRIMA WAS ALWAYS DETERMINED TO CREATE JEWELRY THAT WAS EXCITING AND OUT OF THE ORDINARY. HIS DISTINCTIVE PIECES FEATURING HIGHLY TEXTURED MATERIALS AND ABSTRACT SHAPES LED TO HIS APPOINTMENT AS A CROWN JEWELER IN 1970, WHERE HE WAS COMMISSIONED TO CREATE ITEMS FOR THE BRITISH AND SCANDINAVIAN ROYAL FAMILIES. BONHAMS IS DELIGHTED TOP RESENT A COLLECTION OF 35 GRIMA DESIGNS, FROM THE NEW YORK ESTATE OF MARVIN AND LAURA SPEISER, WHICH THEY GATHERED OVER THE COURSE OF TWO DECADES OF CLOSE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE COUPLE AND ANDREW GRIMA AND HIS WIFE JOJO. THE SPEISERS AND GRIMAS WERE INTRODUCED IN LONDON IN THE EARLY 70s AND THEIR FRIENDSHIP EVOLVED OVER THE NEXT DECADES. THE COUPLES SHARED A MUTUAL ADMIRATION FOR EACH OTHERS AESTHETICS AND ARTISTIC GIFTS. THE SPEISERS' PERSONAL AFFECTION FOR GRIMA, COUPLED WITH THEIR RESPECT FOR HIS DESIGN GENIUS, CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN IN THE REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF SPECIAL, LIMITED EDITION PIECES BEING PRESENTED. HIGHLIGHTING THE SALE IS A CIRCA 1988 EMERALD AND DIAMOND RING. CENTERING A CUT-CORNERED, SQUARE-CUT 11.35 CARAT EMERALD 'POOL' WITHING A RAISED SURROUND OF ROUND BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMONDS, THE RING IS COMPLETED BY A TEXTURAL GOLD MOUNT. EXEMPLARY OF GRIMA'S WORK, THIS STRIKING RING IS ESTIMATED AT $20,000-30,000.

9.9.10

RIJKSMUSEUM PRESENTS 'REMBRANDT & JAN SIX, AN AMSTERDAM FRIENDSHIP'


THE EXHIBITION 'REMBRANDT & JAN SIX, AN AMSTERDAM FRIENDSHIP' WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM FROM 7.SEPTEMBER TO 29.NOVEMBER. REMBRANDT'S WORLD-FAMOUS PORTRAIT OF JAN SIX WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE RIJKSMUSEUM SPECIALLY FOR THIS SPECIAL EXHIBITION. THE PORTRAIT HAS BEEN PART OF THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF THE SIX FAMILY FROM AMSTERDAM SINCE THE 17th CENTURY AND IT IS RARELY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING. TWENTY WORKS ON PAPER, WHICH TELL THE STORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORTRAIT, WILL ALSO BE EXHIBITED IN THE PRINT ROOM. THE BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT IS ONLY RARELY LENT OUT BY THE SIX FAMILY; HOWEVER, AS THE SIX ESTATE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING MAJOR RENOVATIONS, THE PORTRAIT IS TEMPORARY ON DISPLAY IN THE RIJKSMUSEUM. SIX IS DEPICTED IN AN UNUSUALLY INFORMAL, RELAXED AND NONCHALANT MANNER, CREATING THE ILLUSION OF A SNAPSHOT OF A MAN ABOUT TO PUT ON HIS GLOVES. THE WORK OF ART CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IS BY NO MEANS REMBRANDT'S FIRST PORTRAIT OF SIX. REMBRANDT'S FIRST KNOWN ETCHING OF SIX, WHICH DATES BACK TO 1647, WILL ALSO BE EXHIBITED WITH ITS ACCOMPANYING SKETCHES. REMBRANDT PLAYED WITH THE IDEA OF DEPICTING SIX AS A COUNTRY NOBLEMAN, HOWEVER, THE ARTIST PROBABLY CONSIDERED HIS FIRST VERSION TO BE TOO RUSTIC. IN THE SECOND DRAWING SIX IS DEPICTED AS A STUDIOUS DEVOTEE TO THE ARTS. VARIOUS 'STATE' OF THE ETCHING WILL ALSO BE EXHIBITED, AS WELL AS THE COPPER PLATE THAT HAS ALWAYS REMAINED IN THE SIX COLLECTION. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO INCLUDE A NUMBER OF INFORMAL PRE-17th CENTURY ETCHED PORTRAITS, IN WHICH THE SUBJECT DOES NOT LOOK OUT OF THE PORTRAIT, BUT IS SEEMINGLY 'CAUGHT' IN ACTION. IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT SIX AND REMBRANDT KNEW ONE ANOTHER. THEY BELONGED TO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASSES IN AMSTERDAM AND JAN SIX, AS WAS FITTING FOR A WEALTHY MAN LIKE HIMSELF, COMMISSIONED WORK BY REMBRANDT. REMBRANDT DEDICATED PAINTINGS TO SIX AND IN RETURN SIX LENT MONIES TO REMBRANDT TO HELP HIM PAY OFF HIS DEBTS. CONSIDERING THE STRIKING RELAXED MANNER OF PAINTING USED FOR THE PORTRAIT, SIX MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT ADMIRER OF REMBRANDT'S WORK. FOR HIS PART, REMBRANDT MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT HIS STYLE, WHICH WAS VERY UNUSUAL FOR THE TIME, WOULD BE WELL-RECEIVED AND THAT HIS PORTRAIT WOULD BE ACCEPTED BY SIX.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.rijksmuseum.nl

DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART REDISCOVERS ROMNEY PAINTING


THE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART (DNA) RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE RE-ATTRIBUTION OF THE PAINTING, 'YOUNG MAN WITH A FLUTE, TO THE ARTIST GEORGE ROMNEY. THE WORK OF ART HAS BEEN IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS AND ENTERED IT IN 1987 AS PART OF A BEQUEST OF MRS SHERIDAN THOMPSON. AT THE TIME OF THE PAINTING'S ACQUISITION, THE ARTIST WAS UNKNOWN BUT THE PAINTING WAS THOUGHT TO BE BY THE AMERICAN COLONIAL ERA PORTRAIT PAINTER RALPH EARL. THEN IN 2000 ON A VISIT TO THE MUSEUM, BRITISH ART DEALER PHILLIP MOULD SUGGESTED THAT THE PAINTING MIGHT BE THE OEUVRE OF ENGLISH PAINTER GEORGE ROMNEY BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER EVIDENCE TO THE MUSEUM. TEN YEARS LATER, AND SOON AFTER HIS ARRIVAL AT THE DNA FROM THE LOUVRE, OLIVIER MESLAY, SENIOR CURATOR OF EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN ART AND THE BARBARA THOMAS LEMMON CURATOR OF EUROPEAN ART, VIEWED THE PAINTING IN THE ART STORAGE AREA, LEARNED OF MOULD'S EARLIER SUSPICION, AND WANTED TO KNOW MORE. HE SHOWED THE WORK AF ART TO ANOTHER VISITING EXPERT, PIERS DAVIES, SPECIALIST OF OLD MASTER PAINTINGS WITH CHRISTIE'S DAVIES, LIKE MOULD A DECADE EARLIER, IMMEDIATELY NOTED THE LIKENESS OF YOUNG MAN WITH A FLUTE TO THE STYLE OF SIMILAR PORTRAITS BY ROMNEY FROM AROUND THE SAME TIME PERIOD, 1760-1770. MESLAY THEN CONTACTED THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ROMNEY EXPERT ALEX KIDSON, CONSULTANT CURATOR WITH THE NATIONAL MUSEUM LIVERPOOL. KIDSON ANALYZED THE PAINTING AND DETERMINED THE PAINTER TO BE GEORGE ROMNEY, A KEY FIGURE IN 18th CENTURY BRITISH ART. ROMNEY WAS A CONTEMPORARY OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS AND THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH AND AFTER REYNOLD'S DEATH IN 1792 ROMNEY BECAME THE MOST FAMOUS PORTRAIT PAINTER IN ENGLAND. YOUNG MAN WITH A FLUTE IS ON VIEW IN THE DNA's EUROPEAN ART GALLERIES ON LEVEL 2, ALONGSIDE A PAINTING BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS, PORTRAIT OF MISS MARY PELHAM.

8.9.10

LOOTED ARTIFACTS RETURNED TO IRAQI MUSEUM


HUNDREDS OF IRAQI ARTIFACTS LOOTED FROM MUSEUMS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING A 4,400 YEAR OLD STATUE OF AN ANCIENT KING STOLEN DURING THE US LED INVASION, HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO IRAQ AND WERE DISPLAYED TUESDAY. IRAQ IS HOME TO RELICS OF THE WORLD'S MOST ANCIENT URBAN CIVILIZATIONS. BUT ITS PRICELESS HERITAGE HAS BEEN PLUNDERED DURING THE COUNTRY'S WARS AND UPHEAVALS, AND ITS PRECIOUS ANTIQUITIES SOLD TO COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE. THE US MILITARY WAS HEAVILY CRITICIZED FOR NOT PROTECTING THE IRAQI NATIONAL MUSEUM'S TROVE OF RELICS AND ART FOLLOWING BAGHDAD'S FALL IN 2003. THIEVES RANSACKED THE COLLECTION, STEALING OR DESTROYING PRICELESS ARTIFACTS THAT CHRONICLED SOME 7,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION IN MESOPOTAMIA, INCLUDING THE ANCIENT BABYLONIANS, SUMERIANS, AND ASSYRIANS. IRAQI AND WORLD CULTURE OFFICIALS HAVE FOR YEARS STRUGGLED TO RETRIEVE THE TREASURES BUT MET LITTLE SUCCESS. ABOUT 15,000 PIECES ARE STILL MISSING FROM THE MUSEUM THAT REOPENED LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM. MORE THAN 5,000 PIECES HAVE BEEN RETURNED SINCE 2003, HE SAID. TUESDAY'S DISPLAY AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY OF MORE THAN 542 PIECES RETURNED WAS AIMED AT SHOWCASING IRAQI AND INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO REPATRIATE THE COUNTRY'S LOOTED CULTURAL HERITAGE. THE DISPLAY WAS HAILED AS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT BY IRAQI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO VOWED TO CONTINUE THE BATTLE TO RECLAIM IRAQI ARTIFACTS.

BONHAMS TO SELL LARGEST SINGLE OWNER MOORCROFT COLLECTION


THE LARGEST AND MOST VALUABLE SINGLE OWNER COLLECTION OF MOORCROFT POTTERY EVER TO COME TO AUCTION IS FOR SALE AT BONHAMS IN LONDON ON 21.SEPTEMBER. THE RICHARD WRIGHT COLLECTION HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER OVER 25 YEARS BY JACKIE AND RICHARD WRIGHT AND IS ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH OVER £300,000. IT INCLUDES A VERY RARE 'CARP' VASE OF 1902 PAINTED, UNUSUALLY, IN YELLOW AND BLUE ESTIMATED AT £8,000 – 12,000, THE ICONIC 'YACHT VASE' FROM 1899 WHICH IS ESTIMATED AT £6,000 – 8,000, AND A RARE EXHIBITION PLAQUE MADE WITH MORRCROFT'S FLAGSHIP POMEGRANATE PATTERN OF 1913. MOORCROFT POTTERY OWES ITS REPUTATION TO THE INNOVATIVE DESIGNS PIONEERED BY WILLIAM MOORCROFT, FIRST AS AN EMPLOYEE OF JAMES MACINTYRE & CO AND LATER ON HIS OWN ACCOUNT. HIS TECHNICAL SKILL AND ABILITY TO ANTICIPATE PUBLIC TASTE BROUGHT HIM CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS AND MADE HIS WORK AMONG THE BEST LOVED OF ALL ENGLISH POTTERY. DURING A LONG CAREER, STARTING WITH HIS FIRST REGISTERED DESIGNS IN 1898 AND ENDING ONLY WITH HIS DEATH IN 1945 MOORCROFT CREATED A BUSINESS WHICH PROVIDED WORK FOR HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN THE POTTERIES. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO LONGER A MOORCROFT FAMILY LINK, THE NAME AND THE BUSINESS LIVE ON. THE RENOWNED POTTERY SPECIALIST AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY ERIC KNOWLES, SUMMED IT UP WHEN HE WROTE IN THE LATEST BONHAMS MAGAZINE: 'MOORCROFT POTTERY CONTINUES TO OFFER AN EVER-EXPANDING REPERTOIRE OF QUALITY DESIGN THAT NEVER FAILS TO DELIGHT. YESTERDAY, TODAY AND NO DOUBT TOMORROW THE END RESULT REMAINS UNDENIABLY MOORCROFT, AND THE RICHARD WRIGHT COLLECTION ENCAPSULATES THE BEST OF THIS ENVIABLE HERITAGE.'

BONHAMS TO SELL PRESLEY MERCEDES-BENZ


A MERCEDES-BENZ 60, ONCE OWNED BY THE 'KING OF ROCK AND ROLL', ELVIS PRESLEY, AND A 2000 FERRARI 550 GTZ WILL BE FEATURED AT BONHAM'S TRADITIONAL END OF THE YEARS SALE OF IMPORTANT MOTOR CARS AND FINE AUTOMOBILIA ON 6.DECEMBER, WHICH THIS YEAR TAKES PLACE AT AN OUTSTANDING NEW VENUE, MERCEDES-BENZ WORLD IN SURREY. RESTORED TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD, AND ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF CARS THAT PRESLEY REGISTERED IN HIS NAME, THE MERCEDES-BENZ HAS ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £150,000 – 200,000. PRESLEY KEPT THE CAR, WHICH WAS ONE OF TWO 600 MERCEDES HE OWNED, FOR TWO YEARS, BEFORE GIVING IT TO A FRIEND, JAMES LEROY ROBERTSON. IT WAS PURCHASED BY THE VENDOR IN 2005 FROM ROBERTSON MOTORS MEMPHIS, AND EXPORTED TO THE UK. THE FERRARI 550 GTZ IS ONE OF ONLY FIVE EXAMPLES OF THE CAR BODIED BY THE FAMOUS ITALIAN CARROZERIA ZAGATO AND THE ONLY RIGHT HAND DRIVE EXAMPLE. BONHAM'S IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE MERCEDES-BENZ WORLD AS THE NEW VENUE FOR THIS YEAR'S AUCTION. THE BONHAMS DECEMBER SALE IS TRADITIONALLY THE LARGEST, BY VALUE AND VOLUME, OF THE SEASON AND OFFERS A WIDE VARIETY OF MOTOR CARS SPANNING ALL PERIODS, TYPES AND MARQUES. MERCEDES-BENZ WORLD, SITUATED WITHIN THE BANKING OF BRITAIN'S FIRST EVER PURPOSE BUILT RACING CIRCUIT, THE FAMOUS BROOKLANDS MOTOR COURSE, NEAR WEYBRIDGE, PROVIDES AN EXCITING AND FITTING LOCATION FOR THE SALE TO TAKE PLACE. AS WELL AS ITS REMARKABLE SETTING, THE AVANT-GARDE VENUE IS EXCELLENTLY EQUIPPED, FEATURING TWO REFRESHMENT AREAS, CAFE 1886 AND THE GULLWING RESTAURANT, AND THE PRESTIGIOUS NEW BROOKLANDS HOTEL JUST NEXT DOOR.

7.9.10

VICTORIA & ALBERT TO PRESENT RAPHAEL TAPESTRIES


FOUR PRICELESS TAPESTRIES DESIGNED BY THE RENAISSANCE MASTER RAPHAEL HAVE GONE ON DISPLAY WITH THEIR ORIGINAL DRAWINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT AN EXHIBITION IN LONDON TO COINCIDE WITH POPE BENEDICT'S VISIT TO BRITAIN. THE FRAGILE ARTWORKS, WOVEN FROM WOOL, SILK, GOLD AND SILVER, WERE CREATED FOR THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE AMONG THE GREATEST TREASURES OF THE HIGH RENAISSANCE. THE VATICAN HAS NEVER LENT FOUR OF ITS RAPHAEL TAPESTRIES AT THE SAME TIME BEFORE, BUT AGREED TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AT LONDON'S VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM TO MARK THIS MONTH'S PAPAL VISIT. TEH RESTORED WORKS HAVE BEEN HUNG NEXT TO THE ARTIST'S FULL-SIZE PREPARATORY DESIGNS, KNOWN AS THE RAPHAEL CARTOON, DERIVED FROM THE ITALIAN WORD FOR A LARGE SHEET OF PAPER. PROFESSOR ARNOLD NESSELRATH, A DIRECTOR AT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS, SAID IT WAS SYMBOLIC TO REUNITE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S TAPESTRIES WITH THE CARTOONS, WHICH BELONG TO THE QUEEN, HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. COMMISSIONED BY POPE LEO X IN 1515, THE TAPESTRIES COST ABOUT THREE AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT MICHELANGELO RECEIVED FOR THE PAINTING THE SISTINE CHAPEL'S CEILING. 'EACH TAPESTRY TOOK OVER A YEAR TO WEAVE', SAID MARK EVANS, A CURATOR AT THE V&A. 'TAPESTRY WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE ART FORM THEN AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE AND THE EXPENSE OF THE MATERIAL.' WEAVERS IN BRUSSELS USED RAPHAEL'S PAPER DESIGNS TO CREATE THE INTRICATE TAPESTRIES. THE FINISHED WORKS WERE SENT TO ROME AND ROYAL FAMILY BOUGHT THE CARTOONS IN 1623. RAPHAEL'S DESIGNS WERE HUGELY INFLUENTIAL AMONG ARTISTS FOR CENTURIES AND BY THE 18th CENTURY WERE ARGUABLY THE MOST FAMOUS WORKS OF ART IN THE WORLD, EVANS ADDED. THE GREAT ITALIAN ART HISTORIAN VASARI DESCRIBED RAPHAEL AS A 'MORTAL GOD' AND SAID HIS DESIGNS FOR THE TAPESTRIES WERE A 'MIRACLE RATHER THAN A PRODUCTION OF HUMAN ART.' WITH SUBTLE COLOURS AND INTRICATE DETAIL, THEY SHOW SCENES FROM THE BIBLE INVOLVING ST PETER, THE FIRST POPE, AND ST PAUL, ONE OF THE CENTRAL FIGURES OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

ELEVEN CULTURE OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH VAN GOGH THEFT


ELEVEN CULTURE OFFICIALS FROM EGYPT'S GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN FORMALLY CHARGED IN LAST MONTH'S THEFT OF A VINCENT VAN GOGH PAINTING FROM A CAIRO MUSEUM THAT HAD NO FUNCTIONING SECURITY ALARMS. THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR SAYS HE HAS REFERRED THE ELEVEN CULTURE MINISTRY OFFICIALS TO TRIAL ON CHARGES OF NEGLIGENCE AND HARMING STATE PROPERTY. AMONG THEM IS A DEPUTY MINSTER WHO SAYS HE APPEALED TO HIS BOSS FOR FUNDS TO MAKE SECURITY UPGRADES BEFORE THE 21.AUGUST THEFT BUT RECEIVED LITTLE ASSISTANCE. THE $50 MILLION PAINTING, TITLED 'POPPY FLOWER', WAS STOLEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY FROM THE MAHMOUD KHALIL MUSEUM, WHERE INVESTIGATORS FOUND THAT NO ALARMS AND ONLY SEVEN OF 43 SECURITY CAMERAS WERE WORKING. IF CONVICTED THE SUSPECTS COULD FACE THREE YEARS IN PRISON.

CHATEAU MARGAUX WINE CABINET


AN ARCHITECTURAL WINE CABINET HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND RELEASED TO HOUSE A UNIQUE CLASSIC COLLECTION OF CHATEAU MARGAUX WINES. THE WINE CABINET FEATURES A HAND CRAFTED ARCHITECTURAL MINIATURE OF CHATEAU MARGAUX ON TOP OF IT AND WHEN UNLOCKED, REVEALS STORAGE FOR UP TO THREE WINE BOTTLES. THE WINE CABINET HAS TWO DOORS WHICH WHEN OPENED, DISCLOSE FIVE DRAWERS ON EXTENDING RUNNERS TO HOLD THE WINE BOTTLES AND THE EXCLUSIVE FRIEZE HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE CABINET BELOW TO EXPOSE SECRET COMPARTMENTS.

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL POUSSIN PAINTING 'ORDINATION' FOR ESTIMATED $23-31 MILLION


CHRISTIE'S EXPECTS A MAJOR WORK CALLED 'ORDINATION' BY FRENCH MASTER NICOLAS POUSSIN TO FETCH $23-31 MILLION WHEN IT GOES UNDER THE HAMMER IN LONDON ON 7.DECEMBER. THE AUCTIONEER WILL BE HOPING TO REPEAT THE SPECTACULAR PRICES FOR OLD MASTER PAINTINGS FETCHED AT THE EQUIVALENT SALE LAST YEAR, WHEN A RAPHAEL DRAWING MADE A RECORD $47.9 MILLION AND A REMBRANDT PAINTING SOLD FOR AROUND $33 MILLION. RICHARD KNIGHT, CO-HEAD OF OLD MASTERS AND 19th CENTURY ART AT CHRISTIE'S, CALLED THE PAINTING "REMARKABLE". ORDINATION, PAINTED IN THE 1630s, WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS DEPICTED BY THE ARTIST FOR CASSIANO DAL POZZO, A CELEBRATED COLLECTOR IN ROME. OF THE SET OF SEVEN, 'PENANCE' WAS DESTROYED IN A FIRE NEARLY 200 YEARS AGO AND 'BAPTISM' WEN TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON DC. THE OTHER FIVE, 'ORDINATION', 'EUCHARIST', 'EXTREME UNCTION' AND 'MARRIAGE', ARE IN THE POSSESSION OF THE BELVOIR ESTATE, THE ESTATE OF THE DUKES OF RUTLAND, AND HAVE BEEN ON LOAN TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN LONDON. 'THE PROCEEDS RELEASED FROM THE SALE OF THE PAINTING WILL ENABLE US TO REALIZE OUR CORE AIME OF SECURING THE RESTORATION AND LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF THE BELVOIR CASTLE AND ESTATE', SAID A STATEMENT FROM THE ESTATE. ACCORDING TO CHRISTIE'S, THE POPE TRIED TO INTERVENE TO PREVENT THE SERIES BEING SOLD OUT OF ITALY IN THE LATE 18th CENTURY. BUT ART DEALER JAMES BYRES MANAGED TO ARRANGE THE SALE OF THE PICTURES TO CHARLES MANNERS, 4th DUKE OF RUTLAND, BY HAVING COPIES PAINTED AND SUBSTITUTED SO THAT THE ORIGINALS COULD BE SMUGGLED OUT. IN 2007, THE CURRENT, 11th DUKE OF RUTLAND WAS PLANNING TO SELL ALL FIVE OF THE PAINTINGS, ESTIMATED AT THE TIME TO BE WORTH OVER $100 MILLION, BUT WITHDREW THEM AT THE LAST MOMENT, CITY 'FAMILY REASONS'. POUSSIN PAINTED ANOTHER VERSION OF THE SACRAMENTS FOR THE PARISIAN PATRON AFTER BEING SUMMONED TO SERVE AS COURT PAINTER TO KING LOUIS XIII. THAT SET IS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE DUKES OF SUTHERLAND, AND ON LOAN TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND.

6.9.10

ASSOULINE PRESENTS NEW BOOK ABOUT TOMMY HILFIGER


TOMMY HILFIGER GETS THE ASSOULINE TREATMENT IN A STUNNING NEW LUXURY BOOK THAT CELEBRATES BOTH THE MAN AND THE ICONIC BRAND. THE NEW LUXURY BOOK TAKES A LOOK AT 25 YEARS OF HILFIGER FASHION. THE SPECIAL EDITION FROM ASSOULINE'S ULTIMATE COLLECTION USES A PHOTO-ALBUM FORMAT TO CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF A DESIGNER AND HIS ALL-AMERICAN STYLE. 'THIS BOOK IS A CULMINATION OF MY LIFE'S WORK, SHARING SOME OF MY INNERMOST THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS', SAID TOMMY HILFIGER. 'THE TOMMY HILFIGER BRAND HAS EXISTED FOR 25 YEARS, BUT I'VE BEEN DESIGNING ALL MY LIFE. THIS BOOK IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ME TELLING A FRIEND ABOUT MY FAMILY, HOW I GOT TO WHERE I AM TODAY, AND WHERE I WANT TO GO FROM HERE. MY HOPE IS THAT EVERYONE HAS AS MUCH FUN READING IT AS I DID MAKING IT.' THE BOOK MEASURES 14X17 AND HAS 144 PAGES WITH MORE THAN 200 ILLUSTRATIONS, 65 OF WHICH ARE TIPPED IN BY HAND. THE BOOK COMES IN A LINEN CLAMSHELL PRESENTATION BOX WITH AN EMBROIDERED FLAG LOGO WITH GOLD STITCHING. IT IS A LIMITED EDITION OF 1,000 AND EACH ONE SELLS FOR $550.

COINTREAU PRIVE WITH DITA VON TEESE


RENOWNED BURLESQUE SUPERSTAR DITA VON TEESE, IN COLLABORATION WITH LUXURY LIQUEUR COINTREAU, IS PLANNING TO OPEN A POP UP MEMBERS ONLY CLUB IN PARIS' MONTMARTRE DISTRICT. COINTREAU PRIVE IS SET TO OPEN ON DITA'S BIRTHDAY ON 9.SEPTEMBER, AND STAY OPEN FOR ONE MONTH. THE CLUB WILL SERVE HER SIGNATURE COCKTAIL MADE OF ORANGE LIQUEUR, APPLE JUICE, LEMON JUICE AND VIOLET SYRUP AND WILL BE DECORATED WITH 'LOTS OF SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS AND FEATHERS', SAID VON TEESE. TO BECOME A PRIVILEGED MEMBER, SIGH ON cointreauprive.fr. UPON SIGNING UP, YOU WILL RECEIVE THE BRACELET WHICH WILL GRANT YOUR ACCESS TO THE COINTREAU PRIVE.

5.9.10

LOUIS VUITTON LEGENDARY TRUNKS

THIS EXCEPTIONAL BOOK SHOWCASES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS OF THE HOUSE OF LOUIS VUITTON THROUGH MORE THAN EIGHT HUNDRED PHOTOGRAPHS. MANY INCREDIBLE PIECES ARE FEATURED HERE, ALONG WITH THE EQUALLY INCREDIBLE STORIES OF THEIR CREATIONS, AVAILABLE FROM OCTOBER 2010.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, PRESENTS 'MILLET AND RURAL FRANCE'


JEAN-FRANCOIS MILLET'S DEPICTION OF THE ARRESTING BEAUTY OF THE NATURAL WORLD IN THE SUBJECT OF 'MILLET AND RURAL FRANCE', AN EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON (MFA), THAT INVITES VISITORS TO REDISCOVER ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTIST'S OF THE 19th CENTURY. ON VIEW 4.SEPTEMBER THROUGH 30.MAY.2011, IN THE MFA's MARY STAMAS GALLERY, THE EXHIBITION PRESENTS 46 WORKS, MANY OF WHICH HAVE RARELY BEEN SEEN IN THE PAST QUARTER CENTURY, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE MAJOR PASTELS AND DRAWINGS, ALONG WITH LIVELY WATERCOLOURS, SENSITIVELY HANDLED ETCHINGS, AND A POWERFUL WOODCUT. ALL ARE DRAWN FROM THE MUSEUM'S RENOWNED MILLET COLLECTION, ONE OF THE FINEST IN THE WORLD. 'MILLET AND RURAL FRANCE' OFFERS AN INTIMATE VIEW OF THE WORK OF JEAN-FRANCOIS MILLET, WHOSE IMAGES OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE ARE AMONG THE MOST RECOGNIZED AND BELOVED IN THE HISTORY OF ART. THE EXHIBITION PREDOMINANTLY FEATURES WORKS ON PAPER AND SHOWCASES MILLET'S ENGAGING SCENES OF RURAL FRANCE, PRIMARILY NEAR BARBIZON, FOR WHICH HE IS BEST KNOWN. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE ARTIST'S DRAFTSMANSHIP AND TECHNICAL SKILLS, IN PARTICULAR, USE OF LIGHT AND COLOUR, PRECURSORS TO IMPRESSIONISM. MANY OF THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION HAVE NOT BEEN ON VIEW SINCE THE MUSEUM PRESENTED ITS MAJOR MILLET EXHIBITION IN 1994, 'JEAN-FRANCOIS MILLET: SEEDS OF IMPRESSIONISM', WHICH DREW FROM THE MFA's COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST'S WORK GIVEN TO THE MUSEUM BY SEVERAL PROMINENT BOSTONIANS. THE PAINTER WILLIAM MORRIS HUNT; THE MFA's FIRST PRESIDENT, MARTIN BRIMMER; AND THE ENTREPRENEUR QUINCY ADAMS SHAW WERE THREE EARLY COLLECTORS OF MILLET WHO RECOGNIZED IN HIS POWERFUL IMAGES THAT HE WOULD BECOME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTISTS OF THE 19th CENTURY. THE MUSEUM IS NOW THE LARGEST REPOSITORY OUTSIDE OF FRANCE OF WORKS BY MILLET, WITH ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST'S PASTELS IN THE WORLD.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mfa.org

FAN DI FENDI


FENDI HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW FRAGRANCE FOR WOMEN AS PART OF THEIR LATEST COLLECTION FOR THE FALL. THE FAN DI FENDI HAS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ELEGANCE AND STYLE TO IT MUCH LIKE FENDI'S LINE OF FASHION. THE FRAGRANCE IS COMPOSED IN A SPECIFIC MANNER DEDICATED TO FREE, HAPPY AND SENSUAL WOMEN. FAN DI FENDI IS AVAILABLE IN A GLASS FALCON THAT FEATURES A GOLDEN OUTLINE ON THE EDGE OF IT FORMING THE ICONIC FENDI FF MONOGRAM.

PRINCE OF WALES URGES VOGUE READERS TO RECYCLE CLOTHES


THE PRINCE OF WALES HAS URGED READERS OF VOGUE TO WEAR MORE RECYCLED CLOTHES AND NATURAL FABRICS TO REDUCE WASTE AND CONSERVE THE WORLD'S RESOURCES. IN AN ARTICLE FOR THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE FASHION MAGAZINE, ALSO PUBLISHED ONLINE, HE SPEAKS ABOUT HIS PASSION FOR 'REUSING AND REPAINTING' AND PRAISED THE TREND FOR 'VINTAGE' CLOTHES 'BECAUSE THEY SAVE SCARCE RESOURCES AND AVOID WASTE'. HE CITED WOOL AS AN EXAMPLE OF A NATURAL MATERIAL AND PLEDGED TO CAMPAIGN TO PERSUADE CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE IT OVER 'ARTIFICIAL FIBERS MADE FROM OIL DERIVATIVES'. HE WROTE: 'ON THE WHOLE, THE OLDER SOME THINGS ARE, THE MORE COMFORTABLE AND FAMILIAR THEY BECOME; THEY CAN EVEN ADAPT TO LOOK NEW IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT. FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE HAS BEEN IMAGINATIVE ENOUGH TO MAKE SETS OF CUFF LINKS OUT THE PREVIOUS ENGINE FROM MY 40 YEAR OLD ASTON MARTIN AND TO SELL THEM IN AID OF MY TRUST FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. I EVEN HAVE A PAIR OF SHOES MADE FROM THE BALES OF LEATHER SALVAGED FROM AND 18th CENTURY WRECK OFF THE SOUTHWEST OF BRITAIN. THEY ARE TOTALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE AND WILL SEE ME OUT.' THE PRINCE IS FREQUENTLY SEEN IN A WINTER COAT, MODELED ON ONE OWNED BY HIS GREAT UNCLE, KING EDWARD VIII, FOR 23 YEARS. IT WAS MADE FOR HIM BY LES BERGQUIST, A TAILOR AT THE SAVILE ROW FIRM ANDERSON & SHEPPARD. IN THE ARTICLE, THE PRINCE SPOKE OF HIS START INITIATIVE, WHICH HE HAS SET UP TO SHOW THE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO 'TREAD MORE LIGHTLY ON OUR PLANET'. WHERE BETTER FOR VOGUE READERS TO START THAN WITH WHAT THEY WEAR?', HE WROTE. 'LEADING DESIGNERS ARE ALREADY PRODUCING CLOTHES THAT ARE APPEALING, GENUINELY DESIRABLE, AND, MOST IMPORTANT, DON'T HARM THE ENVIRONMENT. THOSE WHO DESIGN THESE FINE THINGS AND THOSE WHO WEAR THEM CAN MAKE A HUGE, POSITIVE, AND LONG-LASTING IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. NOT SO LONG AGO, WEARING OLD OR SECOND HAND CLOTHES TENDED TO BE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO MANY, YET NOW 'VINTAGE' OUTFITS ARE ON THE RED CARPETS ALL OVER THE WORLD', HE ADDED.