KILLED BY MAKE-UP - TRAGIC 18th CENTURY CELEB'S MIRROR AUCTIONED

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.

Other great stories
Desperate dog set off alarm before police smashed car window in Exmouth

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 .

EXPOSED: SHAMELESS TROLL BULLIES INNOCENT GIRLS ONLINE

A shameless internet troll, who targets young girls online for fun, has slammed victims of cyber-bulling as WEAK .

N-ICE ICE BABY: AMAZING SKIING 2YR OLD

RACING down the slopes in her tiny ski gear, this TWO-YEAR-OLD girl has already mastered the art of skiing .

EUROSTAR-BUCKS

THIS ONE of a kind experience brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a coffee to go' .

CHEEKY SQUIRREL STICKS TONGUE OUT

An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .

McDIVING

HOTSPOT MEDIA - McDIVING CRAZE GOES VIRAL - DRUNK students have brought the term 'extra-value meal' to a new level in a bizarre internet craze sweeping across McDonalds chains - McDiving .

BLIND MAN BEATEN WITH BRICK FOR SAYING HELLO

A BLIND man was battered with a brick in a sickening attack by two thugs .

SHOCKING CCTV OF WOMEN AND CHILD HIT AND RUN

THIS astonishing film shows the moment a hit-and-run driver ploughed into a woman and a toddler on a Coventry street .

POLAR BEAR HUG

LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .

WOMAN CRUELLY NAMED ’TUMOUR GIRL’ FINDS LOVE

A woman who was cruelly called ‘tumour girl’ by bullies has finally found love .

HUNGRY CHAMELEON CATCHES DINNER

EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .

WOMAN'S CAR BURST INTO FLAMES AFTER A SEIZURE CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO A TREE – SHE SUFFERED BURNS TO 40% OF HER BODY AND NOW SHE'S A TRIPLE AMPUTEE

Marisah pictured today with scarring to her left arm - A mother-of-one has revealed how she almost died after suffering a seizure whilst driving that caused her car to crash into a tree and burst into flames .