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.
A TAXIDERMY truck spotted in America’s Deep South could be the most gruesome wagon on the road .
POWERFUL bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky in an incredible autumn storm over the Sardinian coastline .
ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .
CARRYING a fully grown goat on his back, this five-year-old boy is a child shepherd in the mountains of northern Ethiopia .
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .
More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
Blonde teen Jess Stubbs has certainly got girl power - as Britain’s youngest TRUCKER .
WRAPPED up in classy headscarves, these adorable pooches are the picture of sophistication .
These uninvited guests ELEPHANTLY make their annual trip through the reception of this welcoming lodge .
Struggling home entertainment chain Blockbuster has been slammed for advertising its workers' jobs while they are still in them in order to scare them into working harder .
