Want to own a piece of cinema history? Here is your chance. The gold cape worn by Elizabeth Taylor in two major scenes from the 1963 film Cleopatra is to go up for auction.
Bidding for the intricate garment, made from leather and gold, is set to start at $10,000 on May 30th at Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions.
But industry insiders predict bidding could soar way beyond that, reaching into the hundreds of thousands.
The costume, designed to look like the wings of a phoenix, is intricately designed using thin strips of gold leather and embellished with thousands of seed beads, bugle beads and bead-anchored sequins.
The craftsmanship involved is impressive, and plays testament to the time, effort and money that went into the design of Taylor's costumes - the star was allocated an incredible $194,800 wardrobe budget for the film.
Taylor wore the gold cape in two pivotal scenes of the Hollywood blockbuster, the portrayal of Cleopatra's entrance to Rome as well as in the final scenes of the film where she commits suicide using the venom from an asp.
The cape will be up for auction alongside the wig worn by the star in the same film.
'These are just a few of the highlights and legendary names we have lined up in this auction,' Margaret Barrett, Director of Entertainment & Music auctions at Heritage told panarmenian.net.
'Taylor was featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles wearing this cape,' added Barrett, 'most famously on the cover of the October 6, 1961 issue of Life.
'While the $194,800 budget for Taylor's costumes was the highest ever for a single actor at the time, the film's costume designer, Irene Sharaff, made good use of it, winning an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color, for her work.'
