... losing your head is just too easy for some people !
Art imitating life ?. Uh, make that death. Although I can't say I have much interest at all in art auctions, I found a recent example of art imitating life that I loved in spite of myself.
British auctioneers 'House and Son' recently auctioned a figurine of Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of Henry VIII, who was beheaded in the Tower of London in 1536.
After the successful bid was made, a member of the auction house staff, whilst attempting to remove the figurine from display, accidentally knocked it against the auctioneers desk, sending it's head flying across the room.
Auctioneer Terry House said it was the funniest thing he had seen in 50 years in this line of work. And he wasn't alone in his amusement. A 20-minute break was required before the next item could be displayed to allow the crowd time to recover from their hysterical laughter at the sadly decapitated-yet-again Boleyn.
The auction house staff member dispatched into the crowd the retrieve the recalcitrant head was so overcome with mirth that he dropped it again, causing it to roll across the floor and come to a rest peering eerily back at the room.
The figurine, which sold for a undisclosed sum, was reportedly a one-off and keenly sought after. Although embarrassed staff were quick to approach the successful bidder to offer their apologies, according to Terry House they need not have worried.
The figurine-winning bidder, a history professor, was himself so amused by the incident that he was beyond speech for some minutes. Despite the statues' new 'authenticity', the sale did not proceed. The once more headless Anne is in limbo, with auction house staff delaying discussing 'the matter' until they can do so without crying from laughter.