The £43m close shave
QUESTION What is the most valuable self-portrait?
The most valuable self-portrait is the Vincent van Gogh painting Portrait Of An Artist Without his Beard. It sold for £43 million at Christie’s, New York, in 1998 to an anonymous buyer.
It was the second highest sum paid for a Van Gogh, just short of the record £49.5 million that Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito paid for Portrait Of Dr Gachet in 1990.
It was two- and- a- half times more expensive than the next most valuable, Six Self-Portraits (1986) by Andy Warhol, sold at Sotheby’s, New York, in 2014 for $30 million (£18 million).
The Van Gogh self-portrait was one of ten put up for auction by the heirs of Jacques Koerfer, the former chairman of BMW.
Part of its appeal was its history: the troubled artist was said to have painted it in 1889 while in the asylum at St Remy as a 70th birthday present for his mother to show her that he was doing well. he committed suicide the following year.
Jenny Shepherd, Maidenhead, Berks.
QUESTION What was the first mnemonic — a method to aid memory?
The first memory technique was the Greek system known as loci, which was widely used in ancient times.
If a speaker intended to talk about a number of topics, he would visualise each as a specific object in a different room of his house.
So if he wanted to talk about pigs, cows and sheep, he would picture a pig in his living room, a cow in his dining room and a sheep in his bedroom. During his talk he would mentally visit each room.
This system resulted in the popular expression ‘in the first place’.
The fictional character Dr hannibal Lecter uses a similar memory palace technique: ‘It is vast, even by medieval standards. Translated to the tangible world it would rival the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul for size and complexity.’
Dr Colin M. Barron, Dunblane, Stirlingshire.
QUESTION During World War I, did a dog track his master from his London home to a battlefield in France?
PRINCe was an Irish terrier bought as a puppy by Private James Brown when stationed at Buttevant, Co. Cork, with the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment in 1913. he became popular with the troops due to his habit of running alongside the column as they marched.
When Brown went to France in 1914, his wife took Prince to the family home in hammersmith, West London.
The dog disappeared one day and, incredibly, found his way to his master’s side in Armentieres, northern France.
A soldier’s letter reported: ‘here the unexpected happened for on that day Prince’s old master, also passing through and seeing a dog which looked very much like his own, called to him and was quickly assured that it was none other than the old friend of the battalion.’
Private Brown had received a distressed letter from his wife telling him that Prince was missing, but he was able to assure her that he was alive and well.
‘It is a very strange thing I should have got him. A man brought him to me from the front trenches. I could not believe my eyes until I got off my horse and he made a big fuss of me.
‘I believe he came across with some other troops. Just fancy him coming here and finding me. he is quite settled down with me, and I have made him a coat out of old greatcoats, which will keep him warm. he is the pet of the regiment.’
An investigation by the 1st Staffs concluded Prince’s penchant for marching had led to the reunion.
he had tagged along with the Queen’s Westminster Rifles when they had marched through hammersmith. They landed in Le havre on November 3, 1914, and joined 18th Brigade, 6th Division at Armentieres.
The story was greeted with scepticism, but following a thorough investigation, the RSPCA was able to ‘establish its authenticity beyond doubt’.
The dog became a great favourite with the regiment, particularly as he was an expert ratter, reportedly killing 137 in a single day.
Prince and Brown survived some of the war’s most infamous battles: Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Messines and Cambrai. Prince returned to London in May 1919. he died two years later, aged eight, perhaps worn out by his service.
Prince’s obituary stated: ‘ hellfire Corner and many other notable spots have been negotiated by him in company with his master, who is employed on transport and whose job it was to bring rations nightly.
‘For Prince, the sound of bursting shells meant little. Many of his comrades who had been badly mauled received a little of Prince’s sympathy in the shape of a lick, while many a dead comrade was similarly treated.’
Luke Johnson, Skipton, N. Yorks.
QUESTION Is it true Cliff Richard only started recording his early hits when his mother had arrived at the studio?
FuRTheR to the answer on Cliff’s early years, I once worked with an agreeable gentleman by the name of John Asgar in plant audit for Thorn. At the next desk was a young lad called harry Webb (aka Cliff), who left to pursue a singing career.
Thorn took over eMI and Cliff later signed a recording contract. When John Asgar was given a lunch to celebrate his 35 years with the company, renamed Thorn eMI, Cliff sent the message: ‘We’re now both working for the same company again!’ What a wonderful gesture.
Peter Milner, Weston Colville, Cambs.
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