Friday, October 30, 2009

World's Most Expensive Diamond Encrusted Skull

Damien Hirst unveils £50 million diamond skull

Damien Hirst has unveiled his latest bizarre creation - a £50 million diamond encrusted skull.


The "bling" work, entitled For the Love of God, is the most expensive piece of contemporary art.

Propped behind reinforced glass in a darkened room in the White Cube gallery in East London, the skull is covered with 8,601 flawless diamonds - three times the number on the crown the Queen wears on state occasions.

Even the eye sockets and the holes for the nose have been filled with hundreds of jewels. A 52-carat pear-shaped stone is set into the forehead, surrounded by 14 diamonds.

The skull is a platinum replica of a human skull bought by Hirst two years ago in a London taxidermy shop. The original is thought to be that of a 35-year-old man who lived in Europe during the 18th century. The teeth have been taken from the original, polished, and then reset in the cast.

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