She was the 18th century celebrity who made men faint in awe of her beauty by her very presence. But her beauty - and her vanity - led to her demise as the lead-based make-up she insisted on plastering on daily resulted first in the loss of her looks, then deadly blood poisoning. Now the grand 7ft mirror in which Maria Gunning, the former Countess of Coventry, admired her stunning reflection has been auctioned off for more than £300,000. Labelled the first victim of vanity, Maria died aged 27 in 1760 after her love of make-up resulted in her untimely death. The 253-year-old mirror sold well above its estimate even though her condition meant she the society hostess used it for a matter of just months. A glorious George II giltwood overmantel design, it was bought for her by her husband The Sixth Earl of Coventry in 1759, who is said to have been so frustrated by his wife's love of make up that he would chase her around the dinner table with a handkerchief, trying wipe it from her face.
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .
This cheeky macaque gets up close and personal as he examines the dental hygiene of his fellow primate .
RESTING his weary head on his flipper, this little seal pup takes a much needed nap after an afternoon of strenuous yoga .
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
A TAXIDERMY truck spotted in America’s Deep South could be the most gruesome wagon on the road .
A Romanian photographer has captured the unique patterns of hundreds of human eyes in a series of striking macro shots .
A SHOCKING cartoon of a black man carrying bags saying‘’zippadydoohdah zip-up immigrant bags’ has appeared in a shop window and is being investigated by police .
A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .
SPARKLING bright inside their box, it’s hard to believe these diamonds are made from the cremated remains of the deceased .
TENNIS was a game made for three according to the first Victorian rule book .
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .