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.
WITH SNOW COVERING the ground around them, these two polar bears play fight .
GETTING behind the camera, this monkey practices his photography skills on his friends .
Southern England, the south-west and west Wales have been warned to expect more wild weather, with heavy rain and high tides possibly leading to coastal flooding and travel disruption over the weekend .
A small Indian monkey is seemingly gob-smacked after reading the latest stock market news .
The dog having been pulled from the car - A police officer smashed a window in the blue Chrysler car to free the dog which was in visible distress .
This cheeky macaque gets up close and personal as he examines the dental hygiene of his fellow primate .
TRYING their best to wriggle away, three adorable tiger cubs receive their health checks at Chester Zoo .
Hot on the heels of a little rabbit, this cheetah is on a mission to catch his prey .
From squids to Star Wars, these flipping marvellous creations are pancake portraits .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
From giant mountains to vast deserts, an American photographer spent a year capturing the diverse and beautiful landscape of the United States .
A trout manages to escape the jaws of a hungry cormorant - only to find itself back inside the bird's long beak .