MARBLE HOUSE TO DISPLAY GOTHIC ART COLLECTION

MARBLE HOUSE, NEWPORT, RI, OOZES LUXURIOUS DECADENCE AT EVERY CORNER, FROM THE 22 CARAT GOLD LEAF DECORATIONS TO THE CORINTHIAN COLUMNS AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE LAVISH CEILING PAINTINGS OF GREEK GODS. BUT FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS, THE GILDED AGE MANSION HAS BEEN WITHOUT ONE OF ITS MOST TREASURED FEATURES; A VAST COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 300 OBJECTS OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART. THE WEALTHY VANDERBILT FAMILY BOUGHT THE WORKS IN PARIS AND DISPLAYED THEM FOR YEARS ON THE RED-SILK LINED WALLS OF THEIR MANSION'S APTLY NAMED GOTHIC ROOM. BUT AFTER THE HOUSE CLOSED IN 1925, THE ITEMS WERE SOLD TO ART COLLECTOR AND CIRCUS ENTREPRENEUR JOHN RINGLING AND TODAY BELONG TO A SARASOTA, FLA, MUSEUM BEARING THE RINGLING NAME. NOW NEWPORT VISITORS CAN SEE THE ITEMS IN THEIR ORIGINAL SETTING. THE JOHN AND MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM HAS LOANED THE COLLECTION TO MARBLE HOUSE THROUGH 31.OCTOBER. THE ITEMS, PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES, BUSTS AND FURNITURE, HAVE BEEN REASSEMBLED IN THE GOTHIC ROOM AND DISPLAYED EXACTLY AS THEY WERE 100 YEARS AGO. MARBLE HOUSE IS AMONG THE MOST POPULAR OF NEWPORT'S MANSIONS, PALATIAL SUMMER HOMES BUILT FOR WEALTHY INDUSTRIALISTS IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY THAT TODAY RANK AMONG NEW ENGLAND'S MOST-VISITED ATTRACTIONS. INSPIRED BY GREEK ARCHITECTURE AND THE PETIT TRIANON AT VERSAILLES, THE HOME WAS COMPLETED IN 1892 FOR RAILROAD HEIR WILLIAM K VANDERBILT AND HIS WIFE, ALVA, A LOVER OF ART AND CULTURE WHO COLLECTED RENAISSANCE ART AT A TIME WHEN NOT MANY OTHER AMERICANS DID.
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TINTIN MEMORABILIA AUCTION FETCHED MORE THAN £870,000

A LIFESIZE BRONZE STATUE OF COMIC BOOK REPORTER TINTIN AND MORE THAN 200 OTHER ITEMS LINKED TO THE DIMINUTIVE GLOBETROTTER HAVE FETCHED MORE THAN £870,000 AT A PARIS AUCTION. THE MOST EXPENSIVE LOT WAS TWO INK AND WATERCOLOUR ORIGINAL PANELS FROM THE 1938 KING OTTOKAR'S SCEPTRE ALBUM, WHICH WENT FOR £211,974. THE BRONZE STATUE, SHOWING TININ WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND DOG SNOWY AT HIS SIDE, WENT FOR £108,705 IN THE SATURDAY AUCTION AT THE DROUT-MONTAIGNE AUCTION HOUSE. BELGIAN ARTIST HERGE'S ADVENTURES OF TINTIN HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO NEARLY 80 LANGUAGES AND SOLD MORE THAN 200 MILLION BOOKS SINCE 1929. RACIAL AND CULTURAL STEREOTYPES IN BOOKS SUCH AS TINTIN IN THE CONGO HAVE PROMPTED CRITICISM, BUT DEMAND FOR TINTIN ARTIFACTS REMAINS STRONG.

QUEEN SOPHIA OF SPAIN STUMBLES

AS A MEMBER OF ONE OF EUROPE'S OLDEST ROYAL FAMILIES, GRACE AND POISE SHOULD COME NATURALLY. UNFORTUNATELY FOR QUEEN SOFIA, HOWEVER, THE LATTER IS SOMETHING SHE DOES NOT POSSESS IN SUCH ABUNDANT QUANTITIES. HER FAMOUS STUMBLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON COMING TO THE RESCUE, AS SHE ASCENDED THE STEPS DURING HER VISIT TO WASHINGTON IN 2002. NOW QUEEN SOFIA HAS DONE IT AGAIN. AT A RECENT PARADE MARKING SPANISH ARMED FORCES DAY IN BADAJOZ, IN SOUTHERN SPAIN NEAR THE PORTUGUESE BORDER, THE 71 YEAR OLD VENTURED TO WAVE TO THE SOLDIERS AND LOYAL SUBJECTS WAITING IN THE CROWD. BUT, WITHIN A SPLIT SECOND, SHE STUMBLED, LEAVING AIDS TO RUSH FORWARD TO HELP. LUCKILY, HER DUTIFUL HUSBAND KING JUAN CARLOS I WAS ABLE TO STOP HER FALLING TO THE GROUND AS HE GRABBED HER ARM. SHE HAD THE GOOD GRACE AFTERWARD, THOUGH, SMILE AND WAVE BACK TO THE CROWD, PROVING POISE IS PERHAPS AN UNDERRATED QUALITY.

CAVIAR VENDING MACHINES APPEAR IN MOSCOW

RUSSIA'S FAMOUSLY FEATHER-BEDDED CIVIL SERVANTS RECEIVED A UNUSUAL AND UNIQUE NEW PERK: A CAVIAR VENDING MACHINE. A SHINY RED DISPENSER THAT LOOKS LIKE A SOFT DRINKS MACHINE HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE MOSCOW MAYOR'S OFFICE WITH MORE TO FOLLOW IN THE COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENT. THE FIRM BEHIND THE LUXURY DISPENSER SAYS 33 SUCH MACHINES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ACROSS THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL IN GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES AND UPSCALE OFFICE BLOCKS. THE MACHINE DISPENSES TINS AND GLASS JARS FULL OF RED SALMON CAVIAR, IN VARYING PORTION SIZES, COSTING FROM THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT £3.50 UP TO £15. THE MORE SOUGHT AFTER STURGEON CAVIAR, VARIETIES OF WHICH HAVE BEEN HUNTED TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION AND COMMAND A MUCH HIGHER PRICE TAG, IS NOT FOR SALE IN THE MACHINES. BUT AT A TIME WHEN RUSSIA IS STILL EMERGING FROM A DEEP ECONOMIC CRISIS, PUBLICITY ABOUT THE DISPENSERS IS LIKELY TO ANGER MANY. RUSSIANS TRADITIONALLY LOVE CAVIAR, SIEVED AND SLIGHTLY SALTED FISH EGGS, AND SPREAD THE CHEAPER RED VARIETY ON BUTTERED BREAD, WASHING IT DOWN WITH SPARKLING SOVIET 'CHAMPAGNE' ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS. BUT THE MOST EXPENSIVE BLACK VARIETY IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR MOST RUSSIANS AND ANNUAL SALES OF WILD BLACK CAVIAR ARE LIMITED TO ABOUT NINE TONS EACH YEAR. THE MOSCOW MAYORALTY'S CAVIAR DISPENSER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN EARLY VICTIM OF ITS OWN POPULARITY, IT WAS REPORTED BROKEN DOWN RECENTLY AND WAS IN 'URGENT NEED OF REPAIR'.

ASSOULINE PRESENTS THE FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND BOOK

ASSOULINE HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW BOOK WHICH COMBINES THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION OF A PRACTICAL MANUAL ON THE FANCY COLOURED DIAMONDS FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND PROFESSIONALS. THE FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND BOOK FEATURES 231 PAGES AND PROVIDES THE READER WITH VAST AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE RANGE OF COLOURS AVAILABLE, THE CHALLENGES FACED WITH CUTTING COLOURED DIAMONDS AND THE ROLE OF FLUORESCENCE TO DETERMINE THE TRUE VALUE OF A COLOUR DIAMOND. THE BOOK INCLUDES DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME OF THE WORLDS GREATEST FANCY COLOURED DIAMONDS, A FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND VALUE SCALE COMPARISON. IT IS PRICED AT $220 AND IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH ASSOULINE.

QUEEN ELIZABETH WILL MISS THIS YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH GAMES

THE QUEEN WILL MISS THIS YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH GAMES, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ENGLAND WON THE WORLD'S CUP. SOURCES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE SAY THAT IT'S DUE TO THE HEAVY WORKLOAD AND THE PRINCE CHARLES WILL REPRESENT THE ROYAL FAMILY IN INDIA. THE MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM THE MONARCH TO THE ATHLETES WILL BE READ OUT. IT IS THOUGHT TO BE TE FIRST TIME SINCE 1966, THE YEARS OF ENGLAND'S ONLY FOOTBALLING WORLD CUP TRIUMPH, THAT THE QUEEN WILL NOT BE ATTENDING ANY PART OF TE EVENT. THE PALACE SPOKESMAN CONFIRMED THAT THE QUEEN HAD A FULL SCHEDULE OF APPOINTMENTS DURING THE AUTUMN WHICH DID NOT INCLUDE A STATE VISIT TO DELHI IN OCTOBER. HE SAID: 'IT IS CORRECT TO SAY THAT THE QUEEN WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES THIS YEAR. THE SHEER VOLUME OF ENGAGEMENTS THIS AUTUMN, COUPLED WITH OTHER OVERSEAS VISITS, MEANS SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND.' THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION IN DELHI INSISTED IT WAS 'DELIGHTED' THAT PRINCE CHARLES WOULD REPRESENT HER MAJESTY AT THE OPENING CEREMONY ON 3.OCTOBER. THE QUEEN DESCRIBED THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES AS A 'GREAT SPORTING CELEBRATION' DURING HER SPEECH TO OPEN THE PREVIOUS GAMES IN MELBOURNE IN 2006. SHE SAID: 'THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ARE A PRODUCT OF OUR UNIQUE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS A TANGIBLE EXAMPLE OF THE VALUE OF THE PARTNERSHIP OF PEOPLES.' MEANWHILE, THE ENGLAND TEAM'S ANTHEM FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT IS SET TO CHANGE AFTER A NATIONAL POLL FOUND JERUSALEM WAS NOW THE MOST POPULAR CHOICE. ATHLETES HAVE STOOD TO ATTENTION FOR THE STIRRING LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS SINCE IT REPLACED GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. BUT JERUSALEM, TAKEN FROM A WILLIAM BLAKE POEM, ATTRACTED 53% OF THE VOTE IN A YOUGOV SURVEY.ENGLAND'S WORLD 1500mm SILVER MEDALIST LISA DOBRISKEY SAID: 'IT IS A VERY POWERFUL PIECE OF MUSIC THAT IS CAPABLE OF EVOKING DEEP FEELINGS OF PRIDE AND PATRIOTISM. WE HOPE IT WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUNDS OF SUCCESS THIS SUMMER.' LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY GARNERED 35% OF VOTES WHILE GOD SAVE THE QUEEN WAS PREFERRED BY JUST 12% OF THOSE TAKING PART IN THE POLL. HOWEVER, THE TRADITIONAL GOD SAVE THE QUEEN WILL BE PLAYED BEFORE EACH OF ENGLAND'S MATCHES AT NEXT MONTH'S FOOTBALL WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA.

DENNIS HOPPER DIES AGED 74

DENNIS HOPPER, THE HOLLYWOOD HELLRAISER WHOSE SCREEN PERFORMANCES IN SUCH FILMS AS 'EASY RIDER' CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF A GENERATION, HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 74. THE ACTOR DIED AT HIS HOME IN VENICE, CALIFORNIA, SURROUNDED BY HIS FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS, AFTER HAVING SUFFERED FOR SOME TIME FROM TERMINAL PROSTATE CANCER. WITH A GRAVELLY VOICE AND A MENACING APPEARANCE, HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE ACTORS OF HIS ERA. HE WAS ALSO A SUPREMELY GIFTED DIRECTOR. WHILE HIS HEYDAY WAS IN THE 60s AND 70s, HE REINVIGORATED HIS CAREER IN LATER LIFE, PLAYING 'BADDIES' IN FILMS SUCH AS BLUE VELVET AND SPEED. LIKE MANY OF THE GREAT STARS, HE LEARNED HIS TRADE IN THE ACTORS STUDIO, MAKING HIS DEBUT TELEVISION APPEARANCE IN 1955 AND HIS FILM DEBUT IN REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, STARRING JAMES DEAN, IN THE SAME YEAR. HE CAME TO PROMINENCE IN THE CULT CLASSIC EASY RIDER, WHICH HE ALSO DIRECTED WITH GREAT SUCCESS. THE FILM ALSO STARRING PETER FONDA AND JACK NICHOLSON IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST, AND CERTAINLY BEST KNOWN, OF AMERICAN ROAD MOVIES. THE FILM WON AN AWARD AT CANNES WHILE HOPPER WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. HE NEVER REALLY REACHED SUCH HEIGHTS AGAIN ALTHOUGH HE WENT ON TO ENJOY CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN APOCALYPSE NOW, PLAYING A MANIC PHOTOJOURNALIST, WHILE IN RECENT YEARS HE BECAME KNOWN TO YOUNGER AUDIENCES FOR INTENSE PERFORMANCES IN THE ACTION MOVIE SPEED, WHERE HE PLAYED A BOMBER TERRORIZING A BUS FULL OF PASSENGERS, AND TRUE ROMANCE. IN MARCH THIS YEAR HE RECEIVED HIS OWN STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME, THE 2,403rd STAR ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. HOOPER WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER, PAINTER, AND SCULPTOR WHOSE WORKS WERE EXHIBITED WORLDWIDE. OFF-SCREEN HIS LIFE WAS EVERY BIT AS COLOURFUL AS THE MOVIES HE MADE. HE HAD RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A BITTER DIVORCE CASE AGAINST VICTORIA DUFFY-HOOPER, WHO HAD BEEN HIS WIFE OF 14 YEARS.