23.10.10

BARBIE DESIGNED BY STEFANO CATURI SELLS FOR $302,500


THE MOST EXPENSIVE BARBIE IN THE WORLD, WITH JEWELS DESIGNED BY AUSTRALIA'S STEFANO CATURI, HAS BEEN SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S IN NEW YORK FOR $302,500. MATTEL COMMISSIONED CANTURI TO CREATE A FINGER-WIDE NECKPIECE AND TINY MATCHING RING TO PROMOTE ITS NEW BARBIE COLLECTION. THE JEWELERY SET FEATURES A NECKLACE MADE FROM THREE CARATS OF WHITE DIAMONDS SET AROUND A ONE CARAT, SQUARE EMERALD-CUT PINK DIAMOND. JEWELER STEFANO CANTURI ALSO DESIGNED THE DOLL'S BLACK STRAPLESS PARTY DRESS, PEEP-TOE STILETTOS AND TUMBLING BLONDE HAIR. 'I WANTED THE JEWELRY DESIGN TO PAY HOMAGE TO BARBIE'S MODERN YET TIMELESS STYLE OVER THE AGES', CANTURI SAID. THE DESIGN WAS INSPIRED BY CUBISM. THE CANTURI BARBIE NOW LEADS THE PACK OF MOST EXPENSIVE BARBIE DOLLS EVER MADE, FOLLOWED BY BARBIE AND THE DIAMOND CASTLE PROMOTIONAL BARBIE ($95,361). ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE ARE GOING TO AID BREAST CANCER RESEARCH.

POWIS CASTLE ACQUIRES SARGENT PORTRAIT


A UNIQUE PORTRAIT BY CELEBRATED AMERICAN ARTIST JOHN SINGER SARGENT HAS BEEN BOUGHT BY POWIS CASTLE. PORTRAIT OF THE HON. VIOLET LANE FOX, BARONESS DARCY DE KNAYTH, COUNTESS OF POWIS c.1910-14, BY SARGENT WAS BOUGHT WITH THE HELP OF A £25,000 GRANT FROM THE ART FUND TOWARDS A TOTAL OF £50,000. THE CHARCOAL DRAWING DEPICTS COUNTESS VIOLET, THE WIFE OF THE 4th EARL OF POWIS, WITH HER HAIR PULLED UP IN THE FASHIONABLE BOUFFANT STYLE OF THE TIME, LOOKING EXPECTANTLY TOWARDS HER LEFT. A GAUZE SCARF WRAPPED AROUND HER NECK ADDS STYLE AND GRANDEUR TO HER POSE. VIOLET IS DRAWN AS A STRONG INDIVIDUAL AND A TRUE EDWARDIAN ARISTOCRAT REFLECTING HER INDEPENDENT AND PERSUASIVE CHARACTER. PORTRAIT OF THE HON. VIOLET LANE FOX, BARONESS DARCY DE KNAYTH, COUNTESS OF POWIS HAD BEEN PART OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION UNTIL IT WAS BOUGHT FOR PUBLIC DISPLAY BY NATIONAL TRUST OWNED POWIS CASTLE. NOW ACQUIRED FOR NATIONAL TRUST'S PERMANENT COLLECTIONS, THE PORTRAIT HANGS IN THE LOWER TOWER BEDROOM, WHICH WAS COUNTESS VIOLET'S BEDROOM, AS THE MOST POWERFUL REPRESENTATION OF 20th CENTURY PORTRAITURE IN THE CASTLE'S IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION. OTHER GEMS AT THE CASTLE INCLUDE AN ELIZABETHAN MINIATURE OF LORD HERBERT OF CHIRBURY BY ISAAC OLIVER AND 19th CENTURY WORKS BY SIR FRANCIS GRANT. ONLY ONE OTHER PORTRAIT OF VIOLET HANGS IN THE CASTLE, A DEPICTION OF HER AS A YOUNG WOMAN. THE NEW ACQUISITION COMPLEMENTS THE YOUNGER PORTRAIT BY SHOWING HER IN HER LATER YEARS CONVEYING THE FORMIDABLE PERSONA SHE DEVELOPED.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES GIFT OF 90 WORKS OF ART


THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED A MAJOR GIFT OF 90 PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES FROM THE ATLANTA-BASED WEST FOUNDATION'S 19tH CENTURY AMERICAN COLLECTION. THE DONATED WORKS INCLUDE 49 PAINTINGS AND 41 SCULPTURES, ESTABLISHING THE HIGH AS A MAJOR RESOURCE FOR 19th CENTURY AMERICAN ART. THE GIFT ENRICHES THE HIGH'S COLLECTION OF AMERICAN ART WITH IMPORTANT WORKS INCLUDING LANDSCAPES BY FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH AND JASPER CROPSEY, PORTRAITS BY REMBRANDT PEALE AND WILLIAM SYDNEY MOUNT, AND SCULPTURES BY HIRAM POWERS AND CHAUNCEY BRADLEY IVES. BEGINNING 29.OCTOBER, THE NEWLY-ACQUIRED PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES WILL BE ON VIEW WITHIN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERIES ON THE SECOND AND THIRD FLOORS OF THE STENT FAMILY WING. THE WEST FOUNDATION'S GIFT OF NEO-CLASSICAL SCULPTURES CONSISTS OF 41 MARBLE, PLASTER AND BRONZE WORKS. THE MAJORITY OF THE WORKS ARE LARGE SCALE, NEO-CLASSICAL MARBLES EXECUTED BETWEEN 1838 AND 1887, INCLUDING MAJOR WORKS BY WILLIAM WETMORE STORY, HIRAM POWERS, EDMONIA LEWIS, HARRIET HOMER, THOMAS BALL, RANDOLPH ROGERS AND THOMAS CRAWFORD. THE GIFT INCLUDES ICONIC OBJECTS THAT REPRESENT THE CHIEF D'OEUVRE OF AN ARTIST'S PRODUCTION, SUCH AS HIRAM POWERS' 'PROSERPINE', RANDOLPH ROGERS' 'NYDIA THE BLIND FLOWER GIRL OF POMPEII', AND HARRIET HOSMER'S 'THE SLEEPING FAUN'. FOUR HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL PAINTINGS WERE GIVEN IN HONOUR OF HIGH MUSEUM OF ART DIRECTOR EMERITUS GUDMUND VIGTEL. VIGTEL, DIRECTOR OF THE HIGH FROM 1963 TO 1991, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING THE MUSEUM'S AMERICAN COLLECTION AND SERVED AS AN ADVISOR FOR THE WEST FOUNDATION COLLECTION. IN ADDITION TO THE FOUR HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL PAINTINGS, 45 OTHER PAINTINGS WERE ALSO GIVEN IN HONOUR OF VIGTEL. THE COLLECTION FEATURES 24 LANDSCAPES, NINE GENRE PAINTINGS, EIGHT FIGURE AND PORTRAIT PAINTINGS, AND FOUR STILL LIFE PAINTINGS. ALL BUT THREE WERE EXECUTED BEFORE 1900, WITH THE STRONGEST CONCENTRATION OF WORKS PAINTED BEFORE 1880.

22.10.10

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH 5,000 YEAR OLD DOOR


ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN THE SWISS CITY OF ZURICH HAVE UNEARTHED A 5,000 YEAR OLD DOOR THAT MAY BE ONE OF THE OLDEST EVER FOUND IN EUROPE. THE ANCIENT POPLAR WOOD DOOR IS 'SOLID AND ELEGANT' WITH WELL-PRESERVED HINGES AND A 'REMARKABLE' DESIGN FOR HOLDING THE BOARDS TOGETHER, CHIEF ARCHAEOLOGIST NIELS BLEICHER SAID WEDNESDAY. USING TREE RINGS TO DETERMINE ITS AGE, BLEICHER BELIEVES THE DOOR COULD HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE YEAR 3,063 BC, AROUND THE TIME THAT CONSTRUCTION ON BRITAIN'S WORLD FAMOUS STONEHENGE MONUMENT BEGAN. 'THE DOOR IS VERY REMARKABLE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE PLANKS WERE HELD TOGETHER', BLEICHER TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. HARSH CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AT THE TIME MEANT PEOPLE HAD TO BUILD SOLID HOUSES THAT WOULD KEEP OUT MUCH OF THE COLD WIND THAT BLEW ACROSS LAKE ZURICH, AND THE DOOR WOULD HAVE HELPED, HE SAID. 'IT'S A CLEVER DESIGN THAT EVEN LOOKS GOOD.' THE DOOR WAS PART OF A SETTLEMENT OF SO-CALLED 'STILT HOUSES' FREQUENTLY FOUND NEAR LAKES ABOUT A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY WERE FIRST INTRODUCED TO THE PRE-ALPINE REGION. IT IS SIMILAR TO ANOTHER DOOR FOUND IN NEARBY PFAEFFIKON, WHILE A THIRD, MADE FROM ONE SOLID PIECE OF WOOD, IS BELIEVED TO BE EVEN OLDER, POSSIBLY DATING BACK TO 3,700 BC, BLEICHER SAID. THE LATEST FIND WAS DISCOVERED AT THE DIG FOR WHAT IS INTENDED TO BE A NEW UNDERGROUND CAR PARK FOR ZURICH'S OPERA HOUSE. ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND TRACES OF AT LEAST FIVE NEOLITHIC VILLAGES BELIEVED TO HAVE EXISTED AT THE SITE BETWEEN 3,700 AND 2,500 YEARS BC, INCLUDING OBJECTS SUCH AS A FLINT DAGGER FROM WHAT IS NOW ITALY AND AN ELABORATE HUNTING BOW.

TOMASSO BROTHERS FINE ART PRESENTS SCULTURA III


A TENDER DEPICTION OF THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH THE YOUNG ST JOHN THE BAPTIST BY BENEDETTO DA MAIANO IS AMONG THE MAJOR PIECES OF EUROPEAN SCULPTURES PRESENTED BY TOMASSO BROTHERS FINE ART, NEW YORK, IN THEIR THIRD ANNUAL NEW YORK EXHIBITION, SCULTURA III, AT OTTO NAUMANN, 22 EAST 80th STREET, FROM 21-31.OCTOBER. THE BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED STUCCO RELIEF NOT ONLY RETAINS MOST OF ITS ORIGINAL POLYCHROME DECORATION BUT IS ALSO IN ITS ORIGINAL FRAME, AND HAS AN ASKING PRICE OF $225,000. BENEDETTO DA MAIANO WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED MARBLE SCULPTORS IN 15th CENTURY FLORENCE, WHOSE WORKS INFLUENCED SUCH HIGH RENAISSANCE ARTISTS AS ANDREA SANSOVINO AND MICHELANGELO. DA MAIANO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTONIO ROSSELLINO AND CONTINUED HIS TRADITION OF FINE MARBLE CARVING FOR CHAPELS, TOMBS, PULPITS AND PORTRAIT-BUSTS. NARRATIVE RELIEFS WERE BENEDETTO'S FORTE, FOR EXAMPLE THOSE ON THE PULPIT OF SANTA CROCE, FLORENCE, AND HE PRODUCED MANY CHARMING COMPOSITIONS OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD. THE EXTREMELY SKILLFUL LEVEL OF PAINTING ON THE RELIEF SUGGESTS IT WAS BY THE RENOWNED NERI DI BICCI. THE VIRGIN'S CLOTHING HAS STAMPED ORNAMENTS TO ENLIVEN THE GILDING, COMPARABLE WITH THOSE USED ON PANEL PAINTINGS OF THE PERIOD, WHILE OTHER TEXTILES HAVE BEEN PAINTED IN THE TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS AL ESTOFADO, WHEREBY CERTAIN AREAS OF GILDING WERE COVERED WITH FINE LINES OF WAX SO THAT WHEN THE RED PAINT WAS APPLIED OVER THE VIRGIN'S DRESS, OR GREYISH WHITE OVER HER VEIL, THE WEAVE OF THE FABRIC WAS REVEALED AS THE WAX WAS REMOVED. ELSEWHERE AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUE OF DELICATE SCRATCHING WAS USED, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE GREEN HEM OF THE VIRGIN'S GOLDEN CLOAK, AND THE CLOTH IN WHICH SHE HOLDS THE BABY JESUS.

ICONIC CHELSEA HOTEL TO BE SOLD


THE NEW YORK HOTEL THAT INSPIRED CREATIVE TALENT FROM SIR ARTHUR CLARKE TO SID VICIOUS IS UP FOR SALE. THE CHELSEA HOTEL, CONTROLLED PRIMARILY BY THREE FAMILIES THAT HAVE OWNED IT FOR 65 YEARS, WILL REMAIN A HAVEN FOR STRUGGLING ARTISTS DESPITE CHANGING HANDS, A HOTEL SPOKESMAN SAID ON TUESDAY. 'THE HISTORY ITSELF MAKES THE HOTEL WHAT IT IS', SAID THE SPOKESMAN, LOREN RIEGELHAUPT. 'ANYBODY WHO'S GOING TO BE LOOKING TO BUY THE CHELSEA KNOWS THAT THE CHELSEA IS THE CHELSEA, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU WANT TO DO TO CHANGE WHAT THE CHELSEA IS', HE SAID, ADDING THAT THERE WAS NO ASKING PRICE. A PARTIAL LIST OF THOSE WHO STAYED THERE INCLUDES WRITERS AS CLARKE, O HENRY AND THOMAS WOLFE, PLAYWRIGHT ARTHUR MILLER, ARTIST ANDY WARHOL AND MUSICIANS JANIS JOPLIN, JIMI HENDRIX AND JIM MORRISON. PUNK ROCKER SID VICIOUS OF THE SEX PISTOLS KILLED HIS GIRLFRIEND NANCY SPUNGEN THERE IN 1978 IN A DRUG-INDUCED STUPOR, AND THE CHELSEA HOTEL IS WHERE BOB DYLAN, ACCORDING TO HIS OWN LYRICS, WROTE 'SAD-EYED LADY OF THE LOWLANDS'. THE 12 FLOOR, 250 ROOM HOTEL WAS BUILT IN 1883 ON 23rd STREET BETWEEN SEVENTH AND EIGHTH AVENUES, A PART OF TOWN CALLED CHELSEA THAT WAS A THEATER DISTRICT AT THE TIME. NOW IT IS HOME TO A CONCENTRATION OF ART GALLERIES AND IS ONE OF THE CITY'S BEST-KNOWN GAY DISTRICTS. UPKEEP OF THE OLD BUILDING REQUIRED A $2 MILLION TO $3 MILLION INVESTMENT IN RECENT YEARS TO RENOVATE 25 ROOMS AND THE LOBBY, RIEGELHAUPT SAID. THE PROPERTY IS SPLIT BETWEEN TRANSIENT HOTEL ROOMS AND RESIDENTIAL UNITS. 'NOW II IS TIME TO LET A NEW OWNER, WITH PERHAPS SOME NEW INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND RESOURCES, TO RE-ENERGIZE AND REVITALIZE THE CHELSEA', SAID PAUL BROUNSTEIN, A SHAREHOLDER AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE HOTEL, IN A STATEMENT. FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS THE HOTEL WAS MANAGED BY STANLEY BARD, A MEMBER OF ONE OF THE OWNERSHIP FAMILIES, WHO WAS OUSTED BY THE BOARD IN 2007. IT WAS BARD WHO DECIDED WHICH STRUGGLING ARTISTS DESERVED A BREAK ON THE RENT AND WELCOMED THE HIPPIES AND PUNKS REJECTED ELSEWHERE. HE NEVER MINDED WHEN ARTISTS SLOSHED PAINT ON THE WALLS AND FLOORS OF THEIR STUDIO APARTMENTS.

21.10.10

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 'ITALY OBSERVED: VIEWS AND SOUVENIRS, 1706-1899'


IN THE 18th CENTURY, PRIVILEGED EUROPEANS EMBARKED ON THE GRAND TOUR, TRAVELING PRINCIPALLY TO SITES IN ITALY, WHERE THEY VISITED CHERISHED RUINS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD AND SPLENDID ARCHITECTURE OF THE RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE ERAS. THE INFLUX OF THESE TRAVELERS TO DESTINATIONS NORTH AND SOUTH, VENICE, ROME, AND NAPLES IN PARTICULAR, LED TO A FLOWERING OF TOPOGRAPHICAL PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS BY NATIVE ITALIANS SERVING A FOREIGN MARKET EAGER TO RETURN HOME WITH PICTURES AND SOUVENIRS. ITALY OBSERVED: VIEWS AND SOUVENIRS, 1706-1899, CURRENTLY ON VIEW AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, THROUGH 2.JANUARY, SHOWCASES A SELECTION OF THE RICH HOLDINGS OF ITALIAN VEDUTE (VIEWS) COLLECTED BY ROBERT LEHMAN. FROM THE PAINTINGS OF VENETIAN LIFE BY LUCA CARLEVARIS TO THE NEAPOLITAN ALBUM OF GOUACHE DRAWINGS DOCUMENTING THE ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS IN 1794 TO SKETCHES AND WATERCOLOURS OF ITALIAN ANTIQUITIES, THE INSTALLATION CAPTURES THE ARTIST'S ROMANTIC ATTRACTION TO ITALY AND ITS IRRESISTIBLE ROMAN HERITAGE. IT ALSO INCLUDE VARIOUS MARKETED SOUVENIRS, EXQUISITE FANS, SPOONS, TEAPOTS AND POCKET-WATCHES ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM'S DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN SCULPTURES AND DECORATIVE ARTS. ITALY OBSERVED IS DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS: VENICE, ROME AND NAPLES. THE BRITISH ELITE CONSTITUTED THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF GRAND TOURISTS, AND THEIR FASCINATION WITH VENICE AND ITS SURROUNDING LANDSCAPES FUELED THE VEDUTE MARKET. ARTISTS LIKE LUCA CARLEVARIS, CANALETTO, BERNARDO BELLOTTO AND FRANCESCO GUARDI PRODUCED VEDUTE OF THE VENETIAN GRAND CANAL. IN ROME, WEALTHY ARISTOCRATS COMMISSIONED ARTISTS SUCH AS POMPEO BATONI TO PAINT THEIR PORTRAITS SURROUNDED BY IMAGERY OF THE COLISEUM, PALATINE HILL, SAINT PETER'S BASILICA AND OTHER EMBLEMATIC SOUVENIRS OF THE GRAND TOURIST CULTURE. WHILE THE PHENOMENON OF THE GRAND TOUR DECLINED DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WAR, DUE TO THE DANGERS OF TRAVEL ABROAD, ITALY CONTINUED TO PRODUCE FINE MEMENTOS OF ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS RIGHT THROUGH THE 19th CENTURY, AND INDEED TO THIS VERY DAY.

NEIMAN MARCUS CAMARO 2011 SELLS OUT IN THREE MINUTES


GENERAL MOTORS SAID THAT IN JUST THREE MINUTES, ALL 100 OF THE NEIMAN MARCUS SPECIAL EDITION 2011 CHEVROLET CAMARO CONVERTIBLES IT OFFERED THROUGH THE US-BASED LUXURY RETAILER'S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CATALOG SOLD OUT YESTERDAY. THE RECORD SALE TOOK PLACE A FEW HOURS AFTER THE CAR WAS SHOWCASED ON NBC's 'TODAY SHOW'. THE NEW OWNERS, WHO CLAIMED THEIR NEIMAN MARCUS EDITION CARS VIA A SPECIAL TELEPHONE RESERVATION PROCESS, WILL RECEIVE THEIR CARS THIS SPRING. THE NEIMAN MARCUS EDITION IS PAINTED IN AN EXCLUSIVE DEEP BORDEAUX EXTERIOR COLOUR, ACCENTED BY SUBTLE, 'GHOSTED' RALLY STRIPES. IT WILL ALSO GET A COLOUR-MATCHED FABRIC TOP AND WINDSHIELD FRAME FINISHED IN MATTE SILVER. ON THE INTERIOR IT WILL GET AMBER-COLOURED LEATHER SEATING SURFACES OFFSET BY BLACK LEATHER SIDE PANELS AND RED STITCHING. RED ACCENTS ALSO APPEAR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE, STEERING AND SHIFT KNOB. THE DEEP BORDEAUX COLOUR FROM THE EXTERIOR IS BROUGHT INSIDE THE CAR, APPEARING ON THE DASH AND DOOR PANELS. ALL UNITS WILL BE SS MODELS WITH A 6.2-LITER V8 ENGINE. THE 100 FUTURE OWNERS CHOSE BETWEEN THE 426hp 6-SPEED MANUAL OR 400hp 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. PRICED AT $75,000, THE CONVERTIBLES ARE AMONG THE PRICIEST ITEMS IN THE CHRISTMAS BOOK CATALOG WHICH ALSO FEATURES OTHER CATEGORIES LIKE 'HIS & HER' GIFTS AND 'FANTASY' GIFTS.

LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY


LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 20th ANNIVERSARY IN NEW YORK WITH A GALA RED CARPET EVENT CALLED 'LA NUIT DU GATEAU". LA MASION DU CHOCOLAT WILL HOST THE SPECIAL EVENING DEDICATED TO PASTRY AND CHOCOLATE ON 3.NOVEMBER FROM 7.p TO MIDNIGHT AT THE CHOCOLATIER'S 1018 MADISON AVENUE LOCATION. THE TASTING OF DESSERTS AND PASTRIES WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FREE OF CHARGE. THE EVENT, WHICH WILL ALSO FEATURE LIVE JAZZ MUSIC, WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE UNDER A TENT ALONG THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE BOUTIQUE. 'IT'S GOING TO BE AN EVENING DEDICATED TO PASTRY', SAYS NORA HOVANESIAN-MANN, DIRECTOR OF LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT USA. 'IT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TASTE AND DISCOVER.' PASTRIES WILL BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE EVENING, INCLUDING SAMPLES OF ITS AL-TIME CLASSICS TO ITS LATEST CREATIONS, SUCH AS CHOCOLATE TARTS, MACARONS, LEMON POUND CAKE AND ITS DELICIOUS PISTACHIO ICE CREAM. THERE WILL ALSO BE SNEAK PREVIEWS OF MANY NEW CREATIONS SUCH AS LA MAISON MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT (TO BE INTRODUCED IN THE US IN 2011), THE SALVADOR CAKE, THE DELICIOUS STARTLETTE AND THE LAUNCH OF THE ACCLAIMED LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT ECLAIRS IN NEW YORK IN CELEBRATION OF THE COMPANY'S 20th ANNIVERSARY. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE TWO OTHER LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT BOUTIQUES IN NEW YORK, AT 30 ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND 63 WALL STREET, WILL BE OPEN FROM 7.p TO 9.p OFFERING TASTINGS OF DESSERTS AND CHOCOLATE PASTRIES TO ALL VISITORS. LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT HAS CONTINUED ITS COMMITMENT TO BE THE REFERENCE FOR CHOCOLATE IN THE LUXURY MARKET. IT IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS SAVOIR-FAIRE AND FOR THE EXCELLENCE AND SUBTLE BALANCE OF ITS CREATIONS. THE COMPANY SETS ITSELF APART FROM OTHER CHOCOLATIERS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, PERHAPS NONE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE INCREDIBLE DETAIL PAID TO THE COMPONENT PARTS OF ITS CHOCOLATES. LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT'S TEAM COMBS THROUGH PLANTATION IN SOUTH AMERICA AND AFRICA; THEY STUDY NOT ONLY THE CACAO BEANS, BUT VARIOUS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM. LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT HAS LOCATIONS IN HONG KONG, LONDON, TOKYO AND CANNES, IN ADDITION TO SEVEN LOCATIONS IN PARIS AND THREE IN NEW YORK. ITS CHOCOLATES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT NEIMAN MARCUS AND FROM LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT'S ONLINE BOUTIQUE.

BONHAMS TO SELL ITEMS FROM MARIA HELEN SMITH ESTATE


BONHAMS & BUTTERFIELDS HAS ANNOUNCED THE 14-15.NOVEMBER SUNSET ESTATE AUCTION FEATURING PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF TELEVISION AND BUSINESS PIONEER, MARIA HELEN SMITH. THE TWO-DAY SALE WILL INCLUDE A ROBUST SELECTION OF VINTAGE AND DESIGNER HANDBAGS, TIES, LUXURY GOODS AND JEWELRY ONCE OWNED BY SMITH. THE COUTURE ITEMS WILL BE OFFERED TOGETHER WITH SELECT FURNITURE, DECORATIVE ARTS AND ASIAN WORKS OF ART FROM THE SMITH ESTATE IN SHE SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY OF RANCHO SANTE FE, CALIFORNIA. MARIA HELEN SMITH WAS BORN 4.JULY.1921, IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA. SHE WAS A PIONEER IN THE ARENAS OF BROADCASTING, BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE. OVER THE COURSE OF HER CAREER SMITH PAVED THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN TELEVISION, RADIO AND CORPORATE VENTURES. SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES TO OWN A TELEVISION STATION AS WELL AS ONE OF THE FIRST FEMALE INDUCTEES TO THE OKLAHOMA BROADCASTERS HALL OF FAME. HIGHLIGHTS FROM 'THE COUTURE OF A QUEEN' SECTION OF THE NOVEMBER SALE WILL INCLUDE A COLLECTION OF GEN-SET AND STONE 14 CARAT BI-COLOUR GOLD RINGS WHICH ARE ESTIMATED AT $1,200; A YELLOW STONE AND 18 CARAT GOLD COILED SNAKED BRACELET WHICH IS EXPECTED TO SELL FOR $1,000; A STUNNING COLLECTION OF LEATHER, SNAKE AND LIZARD SKIN JUDITH LEIBER HAND BAGS AND TWO HERMES NECKTIES TOGETHER WITH TWO GOLD TONE SCARF RINGS. PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF MARIA HELEN SMITH WILL BE FEATURED DURING A SINGLE-OWNER SALE ON 16.NOVEMBER. ASSEMBLED OVER THE COURSE OF A LIFETIME, THE COLLECTION FEATURES A DIVERSE GROUP OF 19th CENTURY WORKS WITH A FOCUS OF THE EUROPEAN AND ASIAN AESTHETIC. THE 300-LOT SINGLE OWNER SALE WILL FEATURE A DISCERNING SELECTION OF RARE PIECES BY RENOWNED MAKERS SUCH AS FRANCOIS LINKE, PAUL SORMANI AND JOSEPH-EMMANUEL ZWIENER, AS WELL AS BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES OF GILT BRONZE, CHANDELIERS, SILVER AND PORCELAIN FROM ACROSS EUROPE.

20.10.10

JOHN GALLIANO FOR LADUREE


ICONIC FASHION DESIGNER JOHN GALLIANO WILL BE COLLABORATING WITH THE FAMOUS PARISIAN CAFE LADUREE TO CREATE SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION MACARONS. THE DIOR DESIGNER'S MACARONS, WHICH COME IN LUXURIOUSLY DESIGNED BOXES OF EITHER 6,12 OR 18, WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO HIS PARFUM PARLEZ-MOI D'AMOUR. HE CHOSE ROSE AND GINGER FLAVORS AND CREATED A LIMITED EDITION BOX FEATURING REFERENCES TO THE NEW FRAGRANCE. THE MACARONS ARE TO GO ON SALE IN NOVEMBER IN LADUREE BOUTIQUES IN FRANCE, THE UK, SWITZERLAND, MONTE CARLO, IRELAND, ITALY AND JAPAN. IN 2009, LADUREE LAUNCHED TWO OTHER SPECIAL VERSIONS OF THE DELECTABLE MARCARONS, ONE BY THE LUXURY SHOE DESIGNER CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN AND ONE BY THE ITALIAN LABEL MARNI.

ABSOLUT GLITTER


EACH YEAR ABSOLUT VODKA CREATES A STUNNING NEW LIMITED EDITION BOTTLE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON, AND THIS YEAR, THEY'VE CREATED ABSOLUT GLIMMER. THE LIMITED EDITION PACKAGING FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABSOLUT BLING BLING, ABSOLUT DISCO, ABSOLUT ROCK EDITION, AND IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD EVERY NIGHT IS A MASQUERADE. MARKING THE FIRST TIME ABSOLUT HAS CHANGED THE SHAPE OF ITS ICONIC BOTTLE, ABSOLUT GLIMMER HAS BEEN DESIGNED IN CRYSTAL PATTER-SHAPED GLASS. THE CONCEPT WAS TO MAKE THE BOTTLE MIMIC THE LOOK OF CLASSICALLY CUT CRYSTAL BOTTLES AND WHEN PLACED IN VARIOUS LIGHT COMBINATIONS, THE BOTTLE WILL APPEAR DIFFERENTLY AS IT REACTS TO THE LIGHT. A SPECIAL COCKTAIL HAS ALSO BEEN CREATED FOR ABSOLUT GLIMMER, TAKING A PURE AND MINIMALIST APPROACH TO SHOWCASE THE VODKA. THE COCKTAIL, ABSOLUT CRYSTAL CLEAR, IS SIMPLY ABSOLUT VODKA AND SPARKLING WATER POURED OVER ICE. ABSOLUT GLIMMER IS BEING PRODUCED IN A SERIES OF 4.8 MILLION BOTTLES AND WILL BE LAUNCHED GLOBALLY IN EARLY NOVEMBER.

19.10.10

RARE 'BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN' MOVIE POSTER TO BE AUCTIONED


THE TANTALIZING COMBINATION OF RARITY, QUALITY AND SHEER ARTISTRY COULD ALL MERGE TO CREATE A WORLD RECORD PRICE AT AUCTION WHEN THE ONLY KNOWN THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (UNIVERSAL, 1935) TEASER ONE SHEET STYLE E MOVIE POSTER, FROM THE RENOWNED COLLECTION OF TODD FEIERTAG, COME UP FOR AUCTION AS PART OF HERITAGE AUCTION GALLERIES BEVERLY HILLS SIGNATURE MOVIE POSTER AUCTION. IT IS ESTIMATED AT $700,000. THE POSTER IS CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT HERITAGE BEVERLY HILLS AND CAN BE SEEN ON A WALK-IN BASIS. 'EARLY UNIVERSAL HORROR MOVIE POSTERS ARE BLUE CHIPS OF THE COLLECTING HOBBY', SAID GREY SMITH, DIRECTOR OF THE MOVIE POSTER AUCTIONS AT HERITAGE, 'AND THIS INCREDIBLE UNIVERSAL HORROR ONE SHEET FROM THE BRIDE IS EASILY THE MOST DRAMATIC POSTER I'VE EVER SEEN, FROM ANY GENRE. IT'S REASONABLE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF THIS POSTER TO EVER SURFACE AND, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, IT'S VERY LIKELY WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER. IT REPRESENTS THE RAREST OF THE RARE FOR A MOST DESIRABLE MOVIE TITLE AND POP-CULTURE ICON.' HERITAGE PREVIOUSLY SOLD A POSTER THAT IS TIED FOR THE SECOND HIGHEST PRICE REALIZED FOR A MOVIE POSTER, A STYLE B ONE SHEET FROM THE BLACK CAT, FOR $334,600 IN NOVEMBER 2009, WHICH RANKS BEHIND THE AUCTION SALE OF THE MUMMY, IN MARCH 1997, FOR $453,500, AT A DIFFERENT AUCTION HOUSE. THE PRESENT POSTER COMES FROM THE SAME COLLECTION AS THE MUMMY AND THE BLACK CAT, THAT OF TODD FEIERTAG, WHO FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS HAS AMASSED PROBABLY THE SINGLE GREATEST COLLECTION OF VINTAGE HORROR POSTERS IN THE WORLD AND WHO HAS DECIDED THAT THE TIME HAS COME TO BRING ANOTHER ONE OF HIS MOST TREASURED POSTERS TO THE MARKET.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE SHOWS RECORD BREAKING SUMMER SEASON


A RECORD-BREAKING 413,000 VISITORS PASSED THROUGH THE DOORS OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE DURING THIS YEAR'S SUMMER OPENING. ATTENDANCE WAS THE HIGHEST IN 16 YEARS AND THE SECOND HIGHEST SINCE BUCKINGHAM PALACE FIRST OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN 1993 (420,000 VISITORS WERE RECORDED IN 1994). TO TOP A VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR, BUCKINGHAM PALACE WAS AWARDED 'BEST UK ATTRACTION' AT BOTH THE GROUP TRAVEL AWARDS AND THE GROUP LEISURE AWARDS. MANY WHO HAD VISITED BUCKINGHAM PALACE IN PREVIOUS SEASONS RETURNED THIS SUMMER TO SEE THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION, THE QUEEN'S YEAR, WHICH CHARTED THE SPECTACLE AND VARIETY OF THE QUEEN'S WORK. THE PALACE'S NEW GARDEN CAFE PROVED TO BE AN EQUAL DRAW. OVER THE EIGHT WEEKS OF THE SUMMER OPENING, IT SERVED 46,000 CUPS OF TEA; PROFITEROLES AND VANILLA MILLE FEUILLE WERE AMONG VISITORS' FAVORITE TREATS. FURTHERMORE, OWING TO POPULAR DEMAND, THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED VICTORIA & ALBERT: ART & LOVE EXHIBITION AT THE QUEEN'S GALLERY, BUCKINGHAM PALACE HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 5.DECEMBER.2010. IT BRINGS TOGETHER OVER 400 WORKS OF ART COLLECTED BY THE ROYAL COUPLE, MANY EXCHANGED AS GIFTS TO MARK SPECIAL OCCASIONS. THANKS TO THE EXHIBITION, ATTENDANCE AT THE QUEEN'S GALLERY HAS RISEN BY 19% THIS YEAR, INCLUDING A RECORDED NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME VISITORS.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE JAPANESE DRAGON


AN UNPRECEDENTED, EXTRAORDINARY, FULLY ARTICULATED IRON DRAGON IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE BONHAMS FINE JAPANESE ART SALE TAKING PLACE OF 11.NOVEMBER AT NEW BOND STREET. THE 133cm LONG CREATION IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £120,000 – 130,000. THE DRAGON IS A STUNNING EXAMPLE OF JIZAI OKIMONO, NATURALISTIC, FULLY ARTICULATED IRON ANIMAL FIGURES, WHOSE BODIES AND LIMBS CAN BE MOVED REPLICATING THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN REAL LIFE. THE EXTRAORDINARY DRAGON OFFERED BY BONHAMS HAS A LONG SERPENTINE AND UNDULATING BODY, FORGED WITH NUMEROUS SCALES THAT HAVE BEEN JOINED INSIDE THE BODY. THE HEAD, MOUTH, CLAWS AND EARS ARE EACH CONSTRUCTED OF MOVING PARTS AND THE LEG JOINTS CAN TURN 180 DEGREES. ALTHOUGH LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPNMENT OF JIZAI OKIMONO AS WORKS OF ART, THE DRAGON WAS CREATED IN THE EDO PERIOD BY THE MYOCHIN SCHOOL. HISTORICALLY, MEMBERS OF THE MYOCHIN FAMILY WERE SUPREME ARMOR MAKERS AND FAMOUS FOR THEIR EXCELLENT IRON FORGING AND HAMMER WORK. HOWEVER, DURING THE PROTRACTED LONG LONG PEACEFUL EDO PERIOD THERE WAS LESS DEMAND FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOR AND THE FAMILY USED THEIR CRAFTSMANSHIP AND EXPERTISE TO CREATE OTHER OBJECTS, INCLUDING JIZAI OKIMONO. FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY OF PROMOTING INDUSTRY AND EXPORTING DECORATIVE ART, MANY JIZAI OKIMONO FOUND THEIR WAY TO THE WEST AND HAVE BEEN OF FASCINATION EVER SINCE. THE DRAGON OFFERED FOR SALE BY BONHAMS IS ONE OF ONLY THREE KNOWN TO EXIST THAT ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE AND WORKMANSHIP, AND IS AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE THAT DEMONSTRATES THE ENVIABLE STANDARD OF FORGED IRON WORK AT THE TIME.

18.10.10

DANNY ELFMAN & TIM BURTN 25th ANNIVERSARY MUSIC BOX


DECEMBER MARKS 25 YEARS OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN MUSIC COMPOSER DANNY ELFMAN AND FILM DIRECTOR TIM BURTON. THE TWO FIRST WORKED TOGETHER ON BURTON'S MOVIE PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE IN 1985 AND WERE FAST FRIENDS FROM THEN ON, WITH ELFMAN COMPOSING THE MUSIC FOR ALL BUT TWO OF BURTON'S PROJECTS SINCE THEN. AMONG ELFMAN'S MOST FAMOUS WORKS ARE THE SCORES TO BEETLEJUICE, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BATMAN, BATMAN RETURNS, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, SLEEPY HOLLOW AND ALICE IN WONDERLAND. IN CELEBRATION OF THE ICONIC FRIENDSHIP WARNER BROS IS RELEASING A 25th ANNIVERSARY MUSIC BOX THAT CONTAINS MORE THAN 19 HOURS OF MUSIC INCLUDING FAN-REQUESTED EXPANSIONS OF FAMOUS SOUNDTRACKS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MUSIC. THE PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES CD ART BY BURTON, A USB FLASH DRIVE WITH MP3s OF ALL THE SONGS, AND A DVD FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE CONVERSATION BETWEEN BURTON AND ELFMAN. THE MUSIC BOX WILL BE RELEASED THIS DECEMBER IN A LIMITED EDITION OF 100 WITH AN ESTIMATED PRICE OF $499.99

MEADOWS MUSEUM TO PRESENT 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL'


ON 23.JANUARY.2011, THE ONLY REMAINING SET OF CODICES FROM THE SACRISTY OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE MEADOWS MUSEUM AS PART OF THE EXHIBITION 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL: AN EPIC JOURNEY FROM ROME TO TOLEDO. FEATURING 40 CODICES THAT RANGE IN DATE FROM THE 11th TO THE 18th CENTURY, THE COLLECTION REPRESENTS SOME OF THE FINEST ILLUMINATIONS EVER DISCOVERED, AND FOLLOWS THE TRAJECTORY OF AN EXCITING AND SIGNIFICANT TIME AT THE VATICAN AND SISTINE CHAPEL. THE CODICES WERE LOOTED FROM THE VATICAN BY NAPOLEON'S ARMIES AND THEN RESCUED BY THE DYNAMIC ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO, CARDINAL FRANCESCO ANTONIO JOSE DE LORENZANA Y BUITRON, WHO GAVE THEM ALL TO THE BIBLIOTECA CAPITULAR DE TOLEDO FOR SAFEKEEPING. FOR 200 YEARS THE CODICES ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FROM HISTORY, UNTIL THE LATE 1990s WHEN THE ITALIAN SCHOLAR DR ELENA DE LAURENTIIS SAW A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CODICES WITH THE BARBERINI SEAL AND TRACED THEIR LOCATION TO THE CATHEDRAL IN TOLEDO. SINCE THEIR DISCOVERY SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN CATALOGING AND STUDYING THE MANUSCRIPTS, PIECING TOGETHER ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE COLLECTIONS OF LITURGICAL MANUSCRIPTS IN THE WORLD. THE OPENING OF THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL AT THE MEADOWS MUSEUM REPRESENTS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE US. THE EXHIBITION WILL FEATURE A BROAD RANGE OF LITURGICAL WRITINGS USED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, INCLUDING BENEDICTIONALS, BLESSINGS, BREVIARIES, EPISTOLARIES, EVANGELISTARIES, MISSALS AND PREPARATIONS FOR MASS. THOUGH THE MANUSCRIPTS WERE UNDISCOVERED FOR YEARS, THE ILLUSTRATIONS REMAIN IN PRISTINE CONDITION, AND DEMONSTRATE SOME OF THE BEST PRESERVED EXAMPLES OF THE COMPLEX DECORATIVE SCHEMES EXECUTED AND INFLUENCED BY MASTER ILLUMINATORS OF THE PAPAL SCRIPTORIUM, SUCH AS THE FRENCH ILLUMINATOR VINCENT RAYMOND AND THE ITALIAN ILLUMINATOR APOLLONIO DE' BONFRATELLI. NOTABLE AMONG THE REDISCOVERED MANUSCRIPTS IS THE 'MISSAL WITH CHRISTMAS MASS OF CARDINAL ANTONIOTTO PALLAVICINI', WHICH DATES TO BETWEEN 1503 AND 1509, AND IS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE RICHEST AND MOST EXQUISITE CODICES FROM THE SISTINE SACRISTY COLLECTION.

RM AUCTION S TO SELL CLASSIC 'MUSCLE' CARS FROM THE ROBSON COLLECTION


ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER MUSCLE CAR COLLECTIONS WILL CROSS THE AUCTION BLOCK IN GEORGIA NEXT MONTH AS RM AUCTIONS PRESENTS THE MILTON ROBSON COLLECTION, A SINGLE-VENDOR SALE TO BE HELD IN GAINSVILLE, GEORGIA, 13.NOVEMBER. THE RESULT OF OVER 25 YEARS OF CAREFUL ACQUISITION BY LIFELONG 'CAR GUY' MILTON ROBSON, THE ROBSON COLLECTION FEATURES A REMARKABLE SERIES OF LOW-PRODUCTION AND ULTRA-HIGH SPECIFICATION DETROIT MUSCLE CARS, ALONG WITH A SERIES OF ICONIC FIFTIES AND SIXTIES CLASSICS, AND A SUPERB SELECTION OF HENRY FORD'S ORIGINAL FLATBED V8s. A TOTAL OF 55 VEHICLES FROM THE COLLECTION, ALONG WITH A RANGE OF MEMORABILIA WILL BE OFFERED 'WITHOUT RESERVE'. 'RM IS HONORED TO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE PRESENTATION OF THE MILTON ROBSON COLLECTION', SAID IAN KELLEHER, RM AUCTIONS. 'MILT ROBSON IS A PASSIONATE CAR GUY WITH AN INCREDIBLE EYE FOR QUALITY. HIS COLLECTION IS KNOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY LIKE-MINDED COLLECTORS AND ENTHUSIASTS AS IT REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE CROSS SECTIONS OF THE FINEST AND MOST DESIRABLE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILES PRODUCED.' THE HIGHLIGHT ATTRACTION FOR THE AUCTION IS A TRIO OF PONTIACS GTO JUDGE CONVERTIBLES, INCLUDING A STARLIGHT BLACK '69 JUDGE, ONE OF THE MOST RARE AND DESIRABLE PONTIAC IN EXISTENCE WITH AN ESTIMATE PRE-SALE OF $750,000 - $1,000,000. IT LEADS A CHARGE OF 12 PONTIAC INCLUDED IN THE SALE. ALSO ON OFFER, AN ALL-ORIGINAL 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO YENKO/SC SPORT COUPE, ONE OF THE MOST VAUNTED VEHICLES OF THE MUSCLE CAR ERA. ADDITIONAL SALE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: A STUNNING, ONE OF A KIND 1953 CADILLAC ELDORADO SUPERCHARGED CONVERTIBLE, ESTIMATED AT $450,000 TO $650,000; A 1960 CHRYSLER 300F FOUR-SPEED CONVERTIBLE, THE ONLY FACTORY FOUR-SPEED, 400hp CONVERTIBLE IN EXISTENCE AND ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE LETTER CARS OF ALL TIME, ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR $350,000; AND, A TOP OF THE LINE, BEAUTIFULLY-RESTORED 1957 DESOTO ADVENTURER CONVERTIBLE, ESTIMATED AT $350,000.

17.10.10

NEW BOOK FROM THE ROYAL COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS THE QUEEN'S DOLLS' HOUSE


THE QUEEN'S DOLLS' HOUSE AT WINDSOR CASTLE IS THE LARGEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MOST FAMOUS DOLLS' HOUSE IN THE WORLD. IN A CHARMING NEW PUBLICATION, THE WELL-KNOWN BROADCASTER AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN LUCINDA LAMBTON GUIDES THE READER ON AN IMAGINATIVE TOUR OF THE MOST MAGICAL OF RESIDENCES, A PERFECT REPLICA IN MINIATURE OF AN ARISTOCRATIC HOME. BUILT FOR QUEEN MARY BY THE LEADING BRITISH ARCHITECT SIR EDWIN LUTYENS BETWEEN 1921 AND 1924, IT INCLUDES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OVER 1,500 OF THE FINEST ARTISTS, CRAFTSMEN AND MANUFACTURERS OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY. FROM THE LIFE BELOW STAIRS TO THE HIGH-SOCIETY SETTING OF THE SALOON AND DINING ROOM, A LIBRARY BURSTING WITH ORIGINAL WORKS BY THE TOP LITERARY NAMES OF THE DAY, A FULLY STOCKED WINE CELLAR AND A GARDEN CREATED BY GERTRUDE JEKYLL, RUNNING HOT AND COLD WATER AND WORKING LIFTS. THE IDEA FOR A DOLLS' HOUSE CAME FROM PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE, QUEEN VICTORIA'S GRANDDAUGHTER, AS A GIFT TO QUEEN MARY IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HER STEADFAST PRESENCE THROUGHOUT THE FIRST WORLD WAR. IT QUICKLY ASSUMED A NATIONAL IMPORTANCE AS A FLAGSHIP ENDEAVOR FOR BRITISH INNOVATION AND AS A SYMBOL OF BRITAIN'S POST-WAR RENEWAL. LUTYENS' VISION WAS TO CAPTURE LIFE IN A ROYAL RESIDENCE IN ALL ITS DETAIL, DESIGNING THE HOUSE TO THE IMPERIAL SCALE OF ONE INCH TO ONE FOOT, IT IS 1.52 METRES HIGH, 2.59 METRES DEEP AND WEIGHS 4.5 TONS. LEADING MANUFACTURERS, INDUSTRIALISTS AND ARTISTS, MANY STILL HOUSEHOLD NAMES TODAY, WERE EAGER TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIQUE PROJECT. TO COMPLETE LUTYENS' IMPRESSIVE WINE CELLAR, BERRY BROS OF ST JAMES, LONDON, CONTRIBUTED OVER 1,200 THIMBLEFULS OF THE FINEST CHAMPAGNES, WINES, SPIRITS AND BEERS TO FILL EACH TINY BOTTLE. SOME 200 AUTHORS, INCLUDING RUDYARD KIPLING, THOMAS HARDY AND AA MILNE, PRODUCED ORIGINAL HAND-WRITTEN WORKS FOR THE LIBRARY, SIR ARTHUR DOYLE CREATED A SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY, 'HOW WATSON LEARNED THE TRICK', ESPECIALLY FOR THE DOLLS' HOUSE. ROYAL GUN MAKERS, JAMES PURDEY & SONS, DONATED WORKING REPLICAS OF KING GEORGE V's GUNS, COMPLETE WITH LEATHER CASE AND MAGAZINE OF 100 TINY CARTRIDGES. IN THE GARAGE A DAIMLER LIMOUSINE, ROLLS ROYCE AND A 1923 SILVER GHOST SEVEN-SEATER LIMOUSINE LANDAULET BOAST THE SUPREMACY OF BRITISH MOTOR MANUFACTURING IN THE 1920s. THROUGHOUT THE DOLLS' HOUSE THERE ARE REMINDERS THAT IT IS JUST NOT ANY RESIDENCE. IN THE SALON TWO SILVER-GILT THRONES MEASURING AN INCH HIGH SIT SIDE-BY-SIDE; THE DINING ROOM IS DECORATED WITH SILVER WALL SCONES, MINIATURE REPLICAS OF THOSE AT WINDSOR CASTLE; A COLLECTION OF RED AND GREEN LEATHER DISPATCH BOXES, EACH EMBOSSED WITH THE ROYAL CIPHER AND 'THE KING', ADD ROYAL GRAVITAS TO THE LIBRARY. THE DOMESTIC QUARTERS AND THE ROOMS BELOW STAIRS WERE GIVEN AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE GRAND ROOMS ABOVE. IN THE KITCHEN, 2,500 TINY SECTIONS OF OAK RECREATE A WOOD-BLOCK FLOOR, A COPPER KETTLE MADE OUT OF A KING GEORGE V PENNY, WITH THE KING'S HEAD ON IT BASE, SITS ON THE STOVE, AND THREE IVORY MICE IN A HUMANE MOUSE TRAP ARE FOREVER UNDER THE GAZE OF A CERAMIC CAT. EVERY DETAIL OF DOMESTIC LIFE IS INCLUDED, FROM LAVATORY PAPER, LUX FLAKES AND SUNLIGHT SOAP, TO A TIN OF COLEMAN'S MUSTARD AND A BOTTLE OF LEA AND PERRINS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE. IN THE LIVING QUARTERS, CHAMBER POTS CAN BE SEEN UNDER EVERY BED, TROUSER PRESSES AWAIT USE IN THE MEN'S BEDROOMS AND READING MATERIAL IS ON HAND FOR THE SERVANTS. IN A LETTER OF THANKS TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED, QUEEN MARY DESCRIBED THE DOLLS' HOUSE AS 'THE MOST PERFECT PRESENT THAT ANYONE COULD RECEIVE'. THE LETTER IS REPRODUCED IN THE BOOK ALONGSIDE CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE ROYAL ARCHIVES BETWEEN THE QUEEN AND LUTYENS, AND CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AND MANUFACTURERS. IN 1924 THE DOLLS' HOUSE WENT ON DISPLAY AT WEMBLY PARK AS PART OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION OF ARTS AND MANUFACTURING, WHERE IT WAS VIEWED BY 1,617,556 PEOPLE. FOR THE FIRST TIME THE PUBLIC WERE ABLE TO SEE INTO THE HEART OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD, GAINING AN UNPARALLELED VIEW OF THE INTIMATE ASPECTS OF FAMILY LIFE AND BRINGING THEM CLOSER TO THE ROYAL FAMILY THAN EVER BEFORE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR THE DOLLS' HOUSE WAS PUT ON PERMANENT DISPLAY AT WINDSOR CASTLE, IN A ROOM SPECIALLY DESIGNED BY LUTYENS, WHERE IT REMAINS TO THIS DAY.