A RARE JADE TANKARD INLAID WITH GOLD AND STUDDED WITH RUBIES AND EMERALDS HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE V&A. THE TANKARD WAS ORIGINALLY MADE FOR AN OTTOMAN SULTAN IN THE LATE 16th CENTURY, IN THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL OF ISTANBUL. A LIMITED NUMBER OF THESE OBJECTS WERE PRODUCED AND THIS IS THE FIRST EXAMPLE TO ENTER A BRITISH NATIONAL COLLECTION. THE TANKARD WAS OFFERED TO THE V&A PARTLY THROUGH THE ACCEPTANCE IN LIEU (AIL) SCHEME. THE ART FUND GAVE £220,000 TOWARDS TO PURCHASE, WHICH INCLUDED A CONTRIBUTION FROM THE WOLFSON FOUNDATION. IT COST A TOTAL OF £477,500. THE TANKARD IS A SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF HOW THE OTTOMAN COURT BORROWED FORMS FROM EVERYDAY LIFE AND TURNED THEM INTO STUNNING LUXURY ITEMS. ITS SHAPE IS BASED ON THE INDIGENOUS DRINKING VESSELS USED IN A VARIETY OF BEVERAGES INCLUDING BOZA, THE FERMENTED MILLET DRINK STILL POPULAR IN ANATOLIA AND THE BALKANS. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF WOOD OR LEATHER, IT IS MADE FROM JADE, WHICH HAD TO BE IMPORTED AT HIGH COST, OVER A GREAT DISTANCE FROM CENTRAL ASIA. BY THE 1560s, THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT POWERS, AND THE SULTANS WHO RULED IN THE FOLLOWING DECADES NO LONGER FELT THE NEED TO BORROW ARTISTIC IDEAS FROM THEIR RIVALS. INSTEAD, THEY CELEBRATED THEIR REGIONAL SUPREMACY BY ADOPTING LOCAL FORMS AND RECREATING THEM IN LUXURY MATERIALS FOR USE IN COURT. THIS PARTICULAR TANKARD HAS A DISTINCTIVE FORM, POT-BELLIED IN FRONT AND FLAT AT THE BACK, WHICH SUGGESTS IT HAD A LEATHER PROTOTYPE. IT IS DECORATED WITH A GOLD WIRE INLAY AND GEMSTONE SETTINGS, ARRANGED IN A PATTERN OF FLORAL SPRAYS, WITH A VASE MOTIF ON THE FRONT. IT WAS THE CUSTOM TO SET OBJECTS OF ALL KINDS WITH RUBIES AND OTHER GEMSTONES TO MARK THEM OUT AS COURT OBJECTS. AROUND 1800, THE TANKARD WAS FURTHER EMBELLISHED WITH GOLD FITTINGS IN THE ROCOCO STYLE, CONSISTING OF GEMSET GOLD MOUNTS AROUND THE FOOT, THE RIM AND THE LID AND THE DISTINCTIVE CURVED HANDLE. SIR MARK JONES, DIRECTOR OF THE V&A SAID: 'THIS TANKARD IS A SPLENDID EXAMPLE OF OTTOMAN ART. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE V&A OR ANY OTHER COLLECTION IN BRITAIN.'

V&A ACQUIRE RARE OTTOMAN EMPIRE JADE TANKARD

A RARE JADE TANKARD INLAID WITH GOLD AND STUDDED WITH RUBIES AND EMERALDS HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE V&A. THE TANKARD WAS ORIGINALLY MADE FOR AN OTTOMAN SULTAN IN THE LATE 16th CENTURY, IN THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL OF ISTANBUL. A LIMITED NUMBER OF THESE OBJECTS WERE PRODUCED AND THIS IS THE FIRST EXAMPLE TO ENTER A BRITISH NATIONAL COLLECTION. THE TANKARD WAS OFFERED TO THE V&A PARTLY THROUGH THE ACCEPTANCE IN LIEU (AIL) SCHEME. THE ART FUND GAVE £220,000 TOWARDS TO PURCHASE, WHICH INCLUDED A CONTRIBUTION FROM THE WOLFSON FOUNDATION. IT COST A TOTAL OF £477,500. THE TANKARD IS A SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF HOW THE OTTOMAN COURT BORROWED FORMS FROM EVERYDAY LIFE AND TURNED THEM INTO STUNNING LUXURY ITEMS. ITS SHAPE IS BASED ON THE INDIGENOUS DRINKING VESSELS USED IN A VARIETY OF BEVERAGES INCLUDING BOZA, THE FERMENTED MILLET DRINK STILL POPULAR IN ANATOLIA AND THE BALKANS. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF WOOD OR LEATHER, IT IS MADE FROM JADE, WHICH HAD TO BE IMPORTED AT HIGH COST, OVER A GREAT DISTANCE FROM CENTRAL ASIA. BY THE 1560s, THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT POWERS, AND THE SULTANS WHO RULED IN THE FOLLOWING DECADES NO LONGER FELT THE NEED TO BORROW ARTISTIC IDEAS FROM THEIR RIVALS. INSTEAD, THEY CELEBRATED THEIR REGIONAL SUPREMACY BY ADOPTING LOCAL FORMS AND RECREATING THEM IN LUXURY MATERIALS FOR USE IN COURT. THIS PARTICULAR TANKARD HAS A DISTINCTIVE FORM, POT-BELLIED IN FRONT AND FLAT AT THE BACK, WHICH SUGGESTS IT HAD A LEATHER PROTOTYPE. IT IS DECORATED WITH A GOLD WIRE INLAY AND GEMSTONE SETTINGS, ARRANGED IN A PATTERN OF FLORAL SPRAYS, WITH A VASE MOTIF ON THE FRONT. IT WAS THE CUSTOM TO SET OBJECTS OF ALL KINDS WITH RUBIES AND OTHER GEMSTONES TO MARK THEM OUT AS COURT OBJECTS. AROUND 1800, THE TANKARD WAS FURTHER EMBELLISHED WITH GOLD FITTINGS IN THE ROCOCO STYLE, CONSISTING OF GEMSET GOLD MOUNTS AROUND THE FOOT, THE RIM AND THE LID AND THE DISTINCTIVE CURVED HANDLE. SIR MARK JONES, DIRECTOR OF THE V&A SAID: 'THIS TANKARD IS A SPLENDID EXAMPLE OF OTTOMAN ART. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE V&A OR ANY OTHER COLLECTION IN BRITAIN.'

V&A ACQUIRE RARE OTTOMAN EMPIRE JADE TANKARD

IN THE MOST UNLIKELY LOCATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA JEWELRY STORE NEAR THE BEACH, A LAVISHLY JEWELED CROSS AND A RING ONCE OWNED BY POPE PAUL VI SIT UNDER LOCK AND KEY, AWAITING TRANSFER TO AN EVEN LESS FAMILIAR VENUE FOR SYMBOLS OF ROMAN CATHOLIC AUTHORITY: AN eBAY AUCTION. THE ITEMS HAVE TURNED UP AT A WILMINGTON STORE OWNED BY A SOUTHERN BAPTIST WITH A FLAIR FOR SELF-PROMOTION. IT'S THE LATEST STOP IN A STRANGE JOURNEY INVOLVING LUMINARIES RANGING FROM UN SECRETARY GENERAL U THANT TO EVEL KNIEVEL, AND WHICH BEGAN WITH PAUL VI's NOVEL DECISION TO ALLOW SOME OF HIS JEWELRY TO BE SOLD TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY. ONE OF THE ITEMS IS A PECTORAL CROSS, GIVEN TO CLERGY WHO ATTAIN THE RANK OF BISHOP OR HIGHER TO SIGNIFY THEIR OFFICE. THE POPE'S DONATION WAS A TESTAMENT TO HIS WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD BY DE-EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH REGALIA. 'THIS IS NEW FOR ME', SAID JEWELRY STORE OWNER ALAN PERRY, WHO THINKS THE ITEMS MIGHT FETCH $800,000 TO $900,000 AT AUCTION. 'THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT UP ON eBAY. IT'S ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE'S WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, AND eBAY MIGHT BA A GOOD MEASURE TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED.' PERRY WAS ENLISTED BY A WIDOW IN WILMINGTON WHOSE HUSBAND HAD BOUGHT THE RING AND CROSS IN THE 1970s. A NEW YORK FIRM HAD TRIED TO SELL THE ITEMS FOR $1.25 MILLION, BUT HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A BUYER. AFTER SERVING THE BOARD OF A LOCAL CHARITY WITH PERRY, THE WOMAN ASKED IF HE WOULD TRY HIS LUCK. IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT HIS STORE, PERRY's EMPORIUM, HAS MADE HEADLINES. PERRY APPEARED ON ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA AFTER HE VOWED LAST YEAR TO REFUND THE COST OF JEWELRY BOUGHT OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD IF A CITY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS HAD THREE INCHES OF SNOW ON CHRISTMAS. IT DID, AND HE PAID OUT ROUGHLY $400,000 THAT WAS COVERED BY INSURANCE. HE PLANS TO PUT THE CROSS AND RING ON PUBLIC DISPLAY STARTING 14.APRIL THROUGH HOLY WEEK WITH AN ARMED GUARD. THE VATICAN CONFIRMED THAT THE ITEMS ARE THE 'PERSONAL' RING AND PECTORAL CROSS OF PAUL VI. EACH POPE'S OFFICIAL RING IS SMASHED WITH A HAMMER WHEN HE DIES. PAUL VI IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THE PONTIFFS WHOSE REIGNS BRACKETED HIS. HE SUCCEEDED THE CHARISMATIC JOHN XXIII, WHO CALLED THE HISTORIC SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. AFTER PAUL's DEATH IN 1978, THE NEXT POPE DIED ROUGHLY A MONTH LATER, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOHN PAUL II, REVERED BY CATHOLICS AND NON-CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD. THE FIRST PONTIFF TO REALLY TRAVEL THE GLOBE, PAUL VI DONATED THE RING AND CROSS DURING A 1965 VISIT TO THE UN. HE INTENDED THE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED AND THE PROCEEDS USED TO RELIEVE HUMAN SUFFERING. THEY WERE BOUGHT IN 1967 FOR $64,000 BY CHICAGO JEWELER HARRY LEVINSON, WITH THE MONEY BEING SPLIT AMONG FOUR UN AGENCIES. THE ITEMS CHANGED HANDS SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THAT, INCLUDING A PERIOD WHEN THEY WERE OWNED BY EVEL KNIEVEL, ACCORDING TO A 2004 BIOGRAPHY OF THE DAREDEVIL, WHICH REFEREED TO THE ITEMS AS KNIEVEL's 'MOST EXTRAVAGANT JEWELRY PURCHASE' IN AN INVENTORY THAT ALSO INCLUDED A 13 CARAT DIAMOND RING SHAPED LIKE A MOTORCYCLE. POPE PAUL VI ALSO DONATED HIS PAPAL TIARA, THE THREE-TIERED CROWN SYMBOLIZING THE POPE's AUTHORITY, AS A FUNDRAISING TOOL TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA. IT REMAINS ON DISPLAY AT THE BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE, AND NONE OF HIS SUCCESSORS HAVE BEEN CROWNED WITH TIARAS.

JEWELRY ONCE BELONGING TO POPE PAUL VI TO BE AUCTIONED

IN THE MOST UNLIKELY LOCATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA JEWELRY STORE NEAR THE BEACH, A LAVISHLY JEWELED CROSS AND A RING ONCE OWNED BY POPE PAUL VI SIT UNDER LOCK AND KEY, AWAITING TRANSFER TO AN EVEN LESS FAMILIAR VENUE FOR SYMBOLS OF ROMAN CATHOLIC AUTHORITY: AN eBAY AUCTION. THE ITEMS HAVE TURNED UP AT A WILMINGTON STORE OWNED BY A SOUTHERN BAPTIST WITH A FLAIR FOR SELF-PROMOTION. IT'S THE LATEST STOP IN A STRANGE JOURNEY INVOLVING LUMINARIES RANGING FROM UN SECRETARY GENERAL U THANT TO EVEL KNIEVEL, AND WHICH BEGAN WITH PAUL VI's NOVEL DECISION TO ALLOW SOME OF HIS JEWELRY TO BE SOLD TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY. ONE OF THE ITEMS IS A PECTORAL CROSS, GIVEN TO CLERGY WHO ATTAIN THE RANK OF BISHOP OR HIGHER TO SIGNIFY THEIR OFFICE. THE POPE'S DONATION WAS A TESTAMENT TO HIS WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD BY DE-EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH REGALIA. 'THIS IS NEW FOR ME', SAID JEWELRY STORE OWNER ALAN PERRY, WHO THINKS THE ITEMS MIGHT FETCH $800,000 TO $900,000 AT AUCTION. 'THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT UP ON eBAY. IT'S ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE'S WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, AND eBAY MIGHT BA A GOOD MEASURE TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED.' PERRY WAS ENLISTED BY A WIDOW IN WILMINGTON WHOSE HUSBAND HAD BOUGHT THE RING AND CROSS IN THE 1970s. A NEW YORK FIRM HAD TRIED TO SELL THE ITEMS FOR $1.25 MILLION, BUT HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A BUYER. AFTER SERVING THE BOARD OF A LOCAL CHARITY WITH PERRY, THE WOMAN ASKED IF HE WOULD TRY HIS LUCK. IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT HIS STORE, PERRY's EMPORIUM, HAS MADE HEADLINES. PERRY APPEARED ON ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA AFTER HE VOWED LAST YEAR TO REFUND THE COST OF JEWELRY BOUGHT OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD IF A CITY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS HAD THREE INCHES OF SNOW ON CHRISTMAS. IT DID, AND HE PAID OUT ROUGHLY $400,000 THAT WAS COVERED BY INSURANCE. HE PLANS TO PUT THE CROSS AND RING ON PUBLIC DISPLAY STARTING 14.APRIL THROUGH HOLY WEEK WITH AN ARMED GUARD. THE VATICAN CONFIRMED THAT THE ITEMS ARE THE 'PERSONAL' RING AND PECTORAL CROSS OF PAUL VI. EACH POPE'S OFFICIAL RING IS SMASHED WITH A HAMMER WHEN HE DIES. PAUL VI IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THE PONTIFFS WHOSE REIGNS BRACKETED HIS. HE SUCCEEDED THE CHARISMATIC JOHN XXIII, WHO CALLED THE HISTORIC SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. AFTER PAUL's DEATH IN 1978, THE NEXT POPE DIED ROUGHLY A MONTH LATER, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOHN PAUL II, REVERED BY CATHOLICS AND NON-CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD. THE FIRST PONTIFF TO REALLY TRAVEL THE GLOBE, PAUL VI DONATED THE RING AND CROSS DURING A 1965 VISIT TO THE UN. HE INTENDED THE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED AND THE PROCEEDS USED TO RELIEVE HUMAN SUFFERING. THEY WERE BOUGHT IN 1967 FOR $64,000 BY CHICAGO JEWELER HARRY LEVINSON, WITH THE MONEY BEING SPLIT AMONG FOUR UN AGENCIES. THE ITEMS CHANGED HANDS SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THAT, INCLUDING A PERIOD WHEN THEY WERE OWNED BY EVEL KNIEVEL, ACCORDING TO A 2004 BIOGRAPHY OF THE DAREDEVIL, WHICH REFEREED TO THE ITEMS AS KNIEVEL's 'MOST EXTRAVAGANT JEWELRY PURCHASE' IN AN INVENTORY THAT ALSO INCLUDED A 13 CARAT DIAMOND RING SHAPED LIKE A MOTORCYCLE. POPE PAUL VI ALSO DONATED HIS PAPAL TIARA, THE THREE-TIERED CROWN SYMBOLIZING THE POPE's AUTHORITY, AS A FUNDRAISING TOOL TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA. IT REMAINS ON DISPLAY AT THE BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE, AND NONE OF HIS SUCCESSORS HAVE BEEN CROWNED WITH TIARAS.

JEWELRY ONCE BELONGING TO POPE PAUL VI TO BE AUCTIONED

PARISIAN LUXURY JEWELER BOUCHERON HAS RELEASED A STUNNING AND UNIQUE SERIES OF ONE OFF PIECES TO CELEBRATE THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. THE SERIES FEATURES TWENTY DIFFERENT PIECES AND CELEBRATES TWENTY OF THE BEST SHOWS PUT ON BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AROUND THE WORLD. EACH PIECE IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT AND USES A WIDE VARIETY OF GEMSTONES.

BOUCHERON CIRQUE DU SOLEIL COLLECTION

PARISIAN LUXURY JEWELER BOUCHERON HAS RELEASED A STUNNING AND UNIQUE SERIES OF ONE OFF PIECES TO CELEBRATE THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. THE SERIES FEATURES TWENTY DIFFERENT PIECES AND CELEBRATES TWENTY OF THE BEST SHOWS PUT ON BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AROUND THE WORLD. EACH PIECE IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT AND USES A WIDE VARIETY OF GEMSTONES.

BOUCHERON CIRQUE DU SOLEIL COLLECTION

A GOLD, ENAMEL AND GARNET BODICE BROOCH FROM 1830 THAT BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA MADE FOURTEEN TIMES ITS PRE-SALE ESTIMATE AT BONHAMS JEWELRY SALE THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE. WITH A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £600–800, THE BROOCH SOLD FOR £11,400. THE FINELY DETAILED BROOCH IS EMBELLISHED WITH GREEN AND RED ENAMEL, SET WITH CABOCHON GARNETS THAT SUSPEND AN ELONGATED DROP OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. THE BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO VICTORIA, DUCHESS OF KENT, WHO ON HER DEATH IN 1861 LEFT HER JEWELRY TO HER DAUGHTER, QUEEN VICTORIA. QUEEN VICTORIA SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE THE BROOCH TO HER THIRD DAUGHTER HELENA, PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, AS A PRESENT ON HER 24th BIRTHDAY IN 1870. THE REVERSE OF THE BROOCH HAS A SIMPLE, YET VERY PERSONAL ENGRAVING: 'BELONGED TO DEAR GRANDMAMMA V. FROM MAMA V.R. TO HELENA 25th MAY 1870'. ALTHOUGH PRINCESS HELENA MARRIED THE GERMAN PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN IN 1866, THEY REMAINED IN BRITAIN CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO LIKED TO HAVE HER DAUGHTERS NEARBY. HELENA WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, CARRYING OUT AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS. SHE WAS ALSO A COMMITTED PATRON OF CHARITIES, AND WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED CROSS. SHE WAS ALSO THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK, AND PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BRITISH NURSES' ASSOCIATION.

BROOCH THE BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA SELLS FOR £11,400

A GOLD, ENAMEL AND GARNET BODICE BROOCH FROM 1830 THAT BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA MADE FOURTEEN TIMES ITS PRE-SALE ESTIMATE AT BONHAMS JEWELRY SALE THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE. WITH A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £600–800, THE BROOCH SOLD FOR £11,400. THE FINELY DETAILED BROOCH IS EMBELLISHED WITH GREEN AND RED ENAMEL, SET WITH CABOCHON GARNETS THAT SUSPEND AN ELONGATED DROP OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. THE BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO VICTORIA, DUCHESS OF KENT, WHO ON HER DEATH IN 1861 LEFT HER JEWELRY TO HER DAUGHTER, QUEEN VICTORIA. QUEEN VICTORIA SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE THE BROOCH TO HER THIRD DAUGHTER HELENA, PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, AS A PRESENT ON HER 24th BIRTHDAY IN 1870. THE REVERSE OF THE BROOCH HAS A SIMPLE, YET VERY PERSONAL ENGRAVING: 'BELONGED TO DEAR GRANDMAMMA V. FROM MAMA V.R. TO HELENA 25th MAY 1870'. ALTHOUGH PRINCESS HELENA MARRIED THE GERMAN PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN IN 1866, THEY REMAINED IN BRITAIN CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO LIKED TO HAVE HER DAUGHTERS NEARBY. HELENA WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, CARRYING OUT AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS. SHE WAS ALSO A COMMITTED PATRON OF CHARITIES, AND WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED CROSS. SHE WAS ALSO THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK, AND PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BRITISH NURSES' ASSOCIATION.

BROOCH THE BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA SELLS FOR £11,400

A RUSSIAN ARTIST IN SERBIA HAS SPENT A SMALL PERSONAL FORTUNE OVER A THOUSAND PEARLS FOR A RELIGIOUS PAINTING HE HAS MADE FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II. CLAD IN EMBROIDERED ROBES, ADAM AND EVE SIT IN THRONES ON A SUSPENDED GARDEN OF EDEN IN ANATOLY PASTYREV'S PAINTING, WHICH IS CROWNED BY A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICON AND PEARL-ENCRUSTED THROWOUT. 'THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN PARTICULAR HAS BEEN THE BASTION OF MODERN CIVILIZATION WHICH HAS CENTURIES-OLD TRADITIONS COMING FROM CHRISTIANITY', PASTYREV TOLD REUTERS ON SUNDAY AT HIS HOME IN TAIGA FOREST ENCIRCLING KRASNOYARSK, SOME 3,300km EAST OF MOSCOW. PASTYREV NOW WANTS TO GIVE THE PAINTING, CALLED 'GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD', TO THE BRITISH MONARCH AS A TRIBUTE TO HER TITLE AS SUPREME GOVERNOR OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. THE BULLDOZER OPERATOR-TURNED-ARTIST SPENT MONTHS WORKING ON THE PAINTING, WHICH HAS 1,360 NATURAL PEARLS HE BOUGHT IN MOSCOW FOR A HANDSOME SUM OF 500,000 RUBLES (£10,947). 'THE BRITISH ROYAL COURT IS THE OLDEST, MOST POWERFUL AND MOST INFLUENTIAL', SAID PASTYREV, WHO WAS A FERVENT COMMUNIST IN SOVIET DAYS. HE IS NOW LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GIVE THE PAINTING, WHICH MEASURES ONE METER BY 1.4 METERS LONG AND IS PEARL-ENCRUSTED ALONG ITS OUTLINE, THROUGH-OUT THE GARDEN AND ON THE BUBBLE-LIKE CLOUDS, TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE. BUT PASTYREV WANTS TO WAIT WHILE THE 'HAT' SURROUNDING PRINCE WILLIAM'S MARRIAGE TO KATE MIDDLETON ON 29.APRIL DIES DOWN BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO GET HIS ARTWORK TO THE BRITISH MONARCH. 'I AM THRILLED BY THIS EVENT...I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR THE YOUNG PRINCE WILLIAM', HE SAID.

RUSSIAN ARTIST CREATES PEARL-ENCRUSTED PAINTING FOR THE QUEEN