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.
Swirling water and sand create amazing aerial images of river deltas across Iceland .
An Italian photographer travelled to northern India where he visited poverty stricken suburbs and captured ordinary people in a series of intimate and expressive portraits .
An Italian photographer travelled to the highlands of New Guinea where he met an Indonesian tribe untouched by the modern world .
COULD this £5,000 auction of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool front door be the most bizarre celebrity sale yet? The door, which looks-like it may have been knocked – and possibly kicked – very hard during its past, was used by members of Britain’s most famous band to visit lead-singer Paul McCartney when he lived at the address from 1955 to 1964 .
This is the moment a puffin delved into the ocean and bit off more than he could chew to collect a beak full of fish .
COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society .
An adorable rescue dog who had her eyes gouged out by thugs in Romania has found a loving home in the UK .
A first-time mum has told how she was allergic to her unborn baby after she developed an angry red rash all over her body .
FROM the rolling hills of the Scottish highlands to looming chalk cliffs in Sussex, these stunning photographs capture the spectacular beauty of Great Britain .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
IN a galaxy not so far away lies a magical display of lights that could be the latest image from NASA .