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                    <title><![CDATA[ Latest from Country Life in Antiques-collecting ]]></title>
                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens-interiors/antiques-collecting</link>
        <description><![CDATA[ All the latest antiques-collecting content from the Country Life team ]]></description>
                                    <lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:05:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The sound of centuries: Britain's last bellfounders ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens-interiors/antiques-collecting/the-sound-of-centuries-britains-last-bellfounders</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Behind the deep chime of York’s Great Peter or the heft of London’s Great Paul is John Taylor’s bellfoundry. With pieces from its associated museum going under the hammer, collectors have a chance to bring home a peal of their own, as Ben Lerwill discovers. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:05:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ben Lerwill ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WAGMbQb4vsnwA92vVACnXG-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Richard Cannon for Country Life]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A worker at John Taylor &amp; Co works on engraving a gigantic bell]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A worker at John Taylor &amp; Co works on engraving a gigantic bell]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A worker at John Taylor &amp; Co works on engraving a gigantic bell]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Is £1.5 billion enough to save our culture? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/comment-opinion/is-gbp1-5-billion-enough-to-save-our-culture</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ An announcement of capital spending to 'restore national pride' is welcome, but requires further scrutiny. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:57:36 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Athena ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tQ3sZictP5qbybeiERGfN3-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images/Steve Christo/Corbis]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[The blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington on August 29, 2022 ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington on August 29, 2022 ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington on August 29, 2022 ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A study in sculpture: 10 of the finest pieces from the Royal Collection ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-study-in-sculpture-10-of-the-finest-pieces-from-the-royal-collection</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A new catalogue in four volumes explores the extraordinary riches of the sculpture in the Royal Collection. Its author, Sir Jonathan Marsden, selects 10 of his favourite works that reflect the diversity of this astonishing collection. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:30:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sir Jonathan Marsden ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gPwp2b2k36aQbQjaYmzRz6-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Royal Collection Trust/Ben Harris]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Three statues from the Royal collection trust in a collage]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Three statues from the Royal collection trust in a collage]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Three statues from the Royal collection trust in a collage]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Eileen Soper: The 'schoolgirl among the masters' with paintings in millions of homes, even yours ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/motoring/eileen-soper-the-schoolgirl-among-the-masters-with-paintings-in-millions-of-homes-even-yours</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Renowned for illustrating the ‘Famous Five’ series, the mercurial, motorcar-obsessed Eileen Soper lived a bucolic and eccentric life. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Motoring]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ian Morton ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SXpwULFNDwapDMdDqUwmDB-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[ The First two Famous Five Children&#039;s Hardback Books by Enid Blyton 1940s ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[ The First two Famous Five Children&#039;s Hardback Books by Enid Blyton 1940s ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[ The First two Famous Five Children&#039;s Hardback Books by Enid Blyton 1940s ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A mesmerising portrait in the eerie country house that inspired Charlotte Brontë to write 'Jane Eyre' ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-mesmerising-portrait-in-the-country-house-that-inspired-charlotte-bronte-to-write-jane-eyre</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A dark episode in the family history of Norton Conyers inspired  a young Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre —but the hidden attic is just one of many treasures in this grand Yorkshire house. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ John Goodall ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/65Y7ntK8sy2GEJWsg6cTwG-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Country Life / Future]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Norton Conyers in North Yorkshire inspired Charlotte Brontë to write &#039;Jane Eyre&#039;.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Norton Conyers in North Yorkshire as pictured in Country Life ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Norton Conyers in North Yorkshire as pictured in Country Life ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Wealthy Boomers collected blue-chip paintings. Gen Z is opting for collectibles. Who will come up trumps? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/wealthy-boomers-collected-blue-chip-paintings-gen-z-is-opting-for-collectibles-who-will-come-up-trumps</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Handbags, jewellery and luxury vehicles are the aesthetic investments of choice for today’s high-net-worth youth, says a report by Art Basel. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:35:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Owen Holmes ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nDVHUdGC65AJHPzM6ydALP-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Jeremy Moeller via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Hermès Birkin handbags are strong luxury investments, often outperforming gold and stocks with average annual returns potentially reaching 14.2% or more — driven by extreme exclusivity, limited supply and high resale demand.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A guest seen wearing a white leather short trenchcoat jacket and a wine red Hermès birkin bag with colourful bag chains outside Miu Miu Show]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Sin, deceit, art, education: The secret history of playing cards explained ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/lifestyle/sin-deceit-art-education-the-secret-history-of-playing-cards-explained</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ From China, through Persia, India, Europe and now in most of our homes. The humble hearts, clubs, spades and jacks have quite the story to tell. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Matthew Dennison ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AKQH5C4CjzkGjAoeiUJxt6-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A deck of vintage colourful playing cards, all spread out on a table]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A deck of vintage colourful playing cards, all spread out on a table]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A deck of vintage colourful playing cards, all spread out on a table]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The 'micro mosaic' at Holkham Hall that uses a fascinating, unusual technique pioneered by the Vatican ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-micro-mosaic-at-holkham-hall-that-uses-a-fascinating-unusual-technique-pioneered-by-the-vatican</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ John Goodall speaks to the Earl of Leicester about one of the most unusual and beautiful objects at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ John Goodall ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZWwEqcydZVm8mzb8LjSLWd-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Simon Buck for Country Life]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The Holkham micro mosaic was bought from the collection of the Palazzo Mignanelli by Thomas William Coke on his Grand Tour in 1771–74. It originally came from the theatre at Gubbio.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The micro mosaic at Holkham Hall]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The micro mosaic at Holkham Hall]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Tate-à-tête: The National Gallery’s promise to grow its modern-art collection risks reopening old wounds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/tate-a-tete-the-national-gallerys-promise-to-grow-its-modern-art-collection-risks-reopening-old-wounds</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ The National Gallery's announcement of a new wing and more modern art promises to reignite a historic rivalry with Tate. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:14 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Will Hosie ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tGcQydUHN2mDSQCHFmA7bY-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy/Trigger Image]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A concrete spiral staircase at Tate Modern]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A concrete spiral staircase at Tate Modern]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Forget Bond, the understated George Smiley is fiction's greatest spy ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/forget-bond-the-understated-george-smiley-is-fictions-greatest-spy</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ As a new exhibition in Oxford charts John le Carré’s legacy, Emma Hughes takes a closer look at his most enduring creation, George Smiley. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:14 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Emma Hughes ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bRRVPqFxduJXYmpBaKNbeF-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Gary Oldman as George Smiley in  Tomas Alfredson&#039;s 2011 adaptation of &lt;em&gt;Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy&lt;/em&gt;]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Gary Oldman as George Smiley walking down a London street]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Gary Oldman as George Smiley walking down a London street]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a ballet dancer’: The English National Ballet's prima ballerina on playing Clara in The Nutcracker and her consuming passions  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/i-wasnt-really-sure-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-ballet-dancer-the-prima-ballerina-of-the-english-national-ballets-the-nutcracker-on-her-consuming-passions</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle meets Ivana Bueno, who is dancing the role of Clara in The Nutcracker this year at the London Coliseum. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:37:25 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mCvcDUnCaVYALvWp7m447T-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Laurent Liotardo]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Ivana Bueno in rehearsals for The Nutcracker.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Ivana Bueno]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Ivana Bueno]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The policeman turned goat-herder turned beautician, whose goats' milk soap became a sensation  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/people/the-policeman-turned-goat-herd-turned-beautician-whose-goats-milk-soap-became-a-sensation</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Beautiful soaps always make a wonderful gift, and that's why the goats' milk soap-maker Nick King is one of our heroes of Christmas. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jane Wheatley ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qR2w3M4HUCGj7PRTJcLegX-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Who knew goats were good for your skin? Nick King does, and these Toggenburg goats can prove it.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Goats ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Goats ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ How the spirit of Andy Warhol lives on through Christmas ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/how-the-spirit-of-andy-warhol-lives-on-through-christmas</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Andy Warhol found Christmas a tricky time, yet threw himself into the festivities and, when he decided to illustrate his series on American myths, he had no doubt he should include the jolly old man in the bright red suit. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gvQtcjSH6tW7tNJwBr5RSG-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A diptych of two images made by Andy Warhol of Santa Claus]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A diptych of two images made by Andy Warhol of Santa Claus]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The exquisite Christmas decorations that spark childhood joy, and the decoration-maker who creates them ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/people/the-exquisite-christmas-decorations-that-spark-childhood-joy-and-the-decoration-maker-who-creates-them</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ Elizabeth Harbour's irresistibly pretty Christmas decorations earn her a place as one of our heroes of Christmas. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jane Wheatley ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JdCvDKr3dUTW9EqNDtdBMP-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Michael Topham for Country Life / Future]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harbour started out after discovering that traditional Christmas decorations were almost impossible to find.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harbour ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harbour ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A gift for every interest — and every deadline: The best coffee-table books to give at Christmas ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-gift-for-every-interest-and-every-deadline-the-best-coffee-table-books-to-give-at-christmas</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Amie Elizabeth White rounds up some of the best coffee-table books of 2025. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:48:11 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Amie Elizabeth White ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GZdnLUSs4FCb2reziSu6cE-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Éva Németh]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Sarah Price&#039;s gravel and sand garden]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Sarah Price&#039;s gravel and sand garden]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Has the secret of Vermeer’s most enigmatic masterpiece finally been revealed? A British art historian’s controversial claim to have uncovered the true identity of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/has-the-secret-of-vermeers-most-enigmatic-masterpiece-finally-been-revealed-a-british-art-historians-controversial-claim-to-have-uncovered-the-true-identity-of-girl-with-a-pearl-earring</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Andrew Graham-Dixon talks to Carla Passino about Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' — an iconic example of Dutch Golden Age art and one of the most famous paintings in the world. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:15 +0000</updated>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y4R5v5DdUKBd8N8ZBdh4v7-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Mystery solved? The enigmatic &#039;&lt;em&gt;Girl with a Pearl Earring&#039;&lt;/em&gt; is most likely to be Magdalena van Ruijven, the daughter of Vermeer’s patrons, according to &#039;&lt;em&gt;Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found&#039;.&lt;/em&gt;]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Vermeer&#039;s Girl with a Pearl Earring]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Real children like it… I think it frightens some adults, but very few children': 75 years of The Chronicles of Narnia ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/real-children-like-it-i-think-it-frightens-some-adults-but-very-few-children-75-years-of-the-chronicles-of-narnia</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ As C. S. Lewis’s enchanting children’s classic 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' turns 75, Matthew Dennison pulls back the coats to explore its evergreen spell. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:25:09 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Matthew Dennison ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a6C6WT9wPLi8StMck57HYF-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[An illustration of a scene from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe where a child opens the mysetery wardrobe.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[An illustration of a scene from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe where a child opens the mysetery wardrobe.]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Power, prestige and passion: Where to see more than 100 of the world’s best dynastic jewels  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/power-prestige-and-passion-where-to-see-more-than-100-of-the-worlds-best-dynastic-jewels</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Many of the world’s most astonishing jewels are on display together in Paris — and they once belonged to Europe’s most powerful families. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:35:23 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Jewellery]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Amy Serafin ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VugGk6gvSZT82ijm8xKapG-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[The Al Thani Collection]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The Leuchtenberg (a historic German noble title) tiara, made in about 1830, has a central emerald that can be removed and worn as a brooch. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Leuchtenberg tiara ]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander Marshal ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/a-brush-with-genius-the-botanical-paintings-of-alexander-marshal</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Alexander Marshal —this country’s first major botanical painter — deserves to be better known, writes Tiffany Daneff, after seeing his luminous originals in the Royal Collection. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:14 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tiffany Daneff ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G9KMDA54WSgLqGjgpJebXB-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A sunflower, brought to England from the Americas in the 16th century, and pictured — rather wonderfully — with a quizzical greyhound. Animals decorate many of Marshal&#039;s paintings.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Paintings of Alexander Marshal ]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The accidental Impressionist who captures country life on canvas ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-accidental-impressionist-who-captures-country-life-on-canvas</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Painting a local cricket match, Sherree Valentine-Daines received an invitation that changed her career and led her to become artist-in-residence at Goodwood ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:14 +0000</updated>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Swi7hxN5eMhvmbsEZUWdmg-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Nicole Hains]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[The artist painting a summer scene]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The artist painting a summer scene]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The greatest flowers make the greatest art ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-greatest-flowers-make-the-greatest-art</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:59:14 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tiffany Daneff ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DSonzAGMdkfcLoCFr7e3HV-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Kate Friend/Lyndsey Ingram]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Morning glory flowers picked by Kate Friend]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Morning glory flowers picked by Kate Friend]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The British Museum's successful attempt to save a Tudor-era pendant with links to Henry VIII is proof that the institution is on the up ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-turn-for-the-better-at-the-british-museum</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ After years of neglect and controversy, Britain's premier cultural institution seems to be finding its feet again. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:36:08 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Athena ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bzBrQ43XZYyXrmtCZqtaR8-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy/Monica Wells]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Discovered in 2019 by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire, the Tudor Heart, a spectacular gold pendant linked to King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, went on display at the British Museum last year, as they launched a major fund raising campaign to acquire it permanently for the nation.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[ ]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘Each one is different depending on what mood I’m in, how I'm feeling and how my energy is’ —meet the carver behind Westminster Hall's angel statues  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-stuff-theyve-seen-is-just-mind-blowing-meet-the-wooden-angel-carver-bringing-to-life-the-statues-in-westminster-hall</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Bespoke woodcarver William Barsley makes unique scale replicas of the angels that gaze over Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace of Westminster. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:10:13 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f9yQSiNpzzWSMK9zLCpPmg-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Millie Pilkington for Country Life/Future]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[William Barsley&#039;s obsession with the angels began when he was in Westminster Hall for an 18-month project to help restore the hammerbeam roof in 2018. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[William Barsley]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[William Barsley]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ How common are you according to Nicky Haslam? Take our quiz ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/how-common-are-you-according-to-nicky-haslams-annual-christmas-tea-towel-take-our-quiz</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Today's quiz takes a detailed look at Nicky Haslam's annual list of things he finds common, and sells on a Christmas tea towel for £50. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:02:16 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Country Life ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ktq4RegimT2FWcvdeu2qbS-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Dave Benett/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Love Actually: common or not common? Nicky Haslam is pictured at is premier in 2003.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Nicky Haslam at the premier of Love Actually in 2003.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Nicky Haslam at the premier of Love Actually in 2003.]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Gems of enflamed transparencies, of bottomless blues, of congealed opals': Why glass was perfect for the elemental experimentalism of Art Nouveau ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/gems-of-enflamed-transparencies-of-bottomless-blues-of-congealed-opals-why-glass-was-perfect-for-the-elemental-experimentalism-of-art-nouveau</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ Art Nouveau masters such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and Émile Gallé turned the most fragile of materials into iridescent masterpieces that shimmered like seashells or glittered like Byzantine mosaics. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Matthew Dennison ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ah4i9BQUP7GUExQqBFykB4-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images/Raymond Boyd]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The Tiffany Dome, in the Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The Tiffany Dome, in the Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois on APRIL 12.  ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The Tiffany Dome, in the Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois on APRIL 12.  ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Who won the rivalry between Turner and Constable? It was us, the public ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/turner-vs-constable-was-a-rivalry-where-the-public-was-the-winner</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A forthcoming exhibition at Tate Britain that revives the rivalry between these two 19th century painters sheds new light on their relationship. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:10:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncRHZnq4uSCZ5VZB2jLFyJ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Cleveland Museum of Art]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Turner&#039;s The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Turner&#039;s The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Turner&#039;s The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Love, desire, faith, passion, intimacy, God, spiritual consciousness, curiosity and adventure': The world of Stanley Spencer, a very English visionary  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/love-desire-faith-passion-intimacy-god-spiritual-consciousness-curiosity-and-adventure-the-world-of-stanley-spencer-a-very-english-visionary</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ Stanley Spencer’s talent for seeing the spiritual in the everyday, his stirring sense for the wonder of Nature and his love for the landscapes of Berkshire and Suffolk shaped his art, as Matthew Dennison reveals. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:15 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Matthew Dennison ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VouNYNPyUoFL89QYap7SLh-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham; Estate of Stanley Spencer / ©Estate of Stanley Spencer]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Cookham to the core: Stanley Spencer’s self-confessed ‘personal value of the Englishness of England’ is evident in his 1936 work &lt;em&gt;View from Cookham Bridge&lt;/em&gt;.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Stanley Spencer (1891-1959). View from Cookham Bridge, 1936]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Stanley Spencer (1891-1959). View from Cookham Bridge, 1936]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ What a report on the spending of female billionaires tells us about the future of museum collections ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/what-a-report-on-the-spending-of-female-billionaires-tells-us-about-the-future-of-museum-collections</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Between 2015 and 2024, the number of female billionaires grew from 190 to 344. Could this be good news for the art world? ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Athena ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7V2F5HSJ6vNHAJLSqCRD7F-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A woman stares at six paintings by Canaletto]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A woman stares at six paintings by Canaletto]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Items from the collection of Lady Glenconner are going under the hammer, including a nine-carat gold Cartier box gifted to her by Elizabeth II  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-objects-that-mark-a-remarkable-life-lady-glenconnor-the-former-lady-in-waiting-to-princess-margaret-auctions-collection</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ ‘I have had such great pleasure living with these wonderful objects, each telling their own fascinating story.’ ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Julie Harding ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NwphgGyoiYFafJ8EF83ofB-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Lady Anne Glenconner]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Starry nights: Lady Anne with Mick Jagger and Rupert Everett.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Lady Anne Glenconner with two men ]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Cheaper to steal than to buy: Napoleon's brooch sells for £4.4 million – 17 times its estimate ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/how-to-get-your-hands-on-some-napoleonic-jewels-the-legal-way</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Napoleon's one-of-a-kind brooch went under the hammer and vastly outstripped its pre-sale estimate. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:02:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:46:04 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kim Parker ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uReSNvyNDKmfSWre8asDNX-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Sotheby&#039;s]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Napoleon&#039;s one-of-a-kind brooch sold for $4.4 million at auction — 17 times its estimate. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Sotheby&#039;s Royal and Noble Jewels]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Sotheby&#039;s Royal and Noble Jewels]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A painting owned by Edward Guinness is on display next to a near identical version at Kenwood House — but which one is the real Vermeer? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-painting-owned-by-edward-guinness-is-on-display-next-to-a-near-identical-version-at-kenwood-house-but-which-one-is-the-real-vermeer</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A mini exhibition at Kenwood House allows viewers to ‘to practise their own connoisseurship’. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:02:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:31 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Michael Prodger ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8VNv3b7oYzK9dZBYqw8JbX-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[English Heritage]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Vermeer&#039;s &#039;The Guitar Player&#039; at Kenwood House]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Vermeer&#039;s &#039;The Guitar Player&#039; at Kenwood House]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Vermeer&#039;s &#039;The Guitar Player&#039; at Kenwood House]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘So many of us look at the world through our screens and forget to pay attention to the world outside’: Katy Hessel on the world’s great female artists, why free entry to museums matters and her consuming passions ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/people/so-many-of-us-look-at-the-world-through-our-screens-and-forget-to-pay-attention-to-the-world-outside-katy-hessel-on-the-worlds-great-female-artists-why-free-entry-to-museums-matters-and-her-consuming-passions</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The author of ‘The Story of Art Without Men’ speaks to Lotte Brundle about the dangers of AI, how she fell in love with the art world and why it’s okay that her favourite painting is by a male artist. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
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                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7FuDZQqRRgCoMqZnbwF2e-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[c Lily Bertrand Webb]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Katy Hessel has interviewed artists such as Jenny Saville, Tracey Emin and the Guerilla Girls. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Katy Hessel]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Katy Hessel]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'The King of Hell was fat from gorging on souls and he expelled some more from his bowels': The many guises of the Devil Antiquity to present day ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-king-of-hell-was-fat-from-gorging-on-souls-and-he-expelled-some-more-from-his-bowels-the-many-guises-of-the-devil-antiquity-to-present-day</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Taking as many guises as his names, the Prince of Lies turned at times into a man-devouring ogre, a mutant medley of claws, horns and wings, or the brooding rebel that lit the imagination of Romantic painters. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:57:52 +0000</updated>
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                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7KrMRAbsvh8VXhLfRkBVKM-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A diabolical warning: the damned are devoured by a huge, bloodthirsty Devil in Fra Angelico’s 1431 &#039;&lt;em&gt;The Last Judgement&#039;.&lt;/em&gt;]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Fra Angelico’s 1431 The Last Judgement]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Fra Angelico’s 1431 The Last Judgement]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A portrait featuring a string of pearls stolen in one of Britain’s most notorious jewellery heists is going under the hammer ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-portrait-featuring-a-string-of-pearls-stolen-in-one-of-britains-most-notorious-jewellery-heists-is-going-under-the-hammer</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A portrait by Philip de László features a headline-making pearl necklace that was stolen, recovered and stolen again — and it's coming up for auction this week. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:14:33 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kim Parker ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gozT6VPBrPfthajJuHRmbE-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[The De Laszlo Foundation]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A portrait of Mrs Harold Nickols wearing a two-string of blush-pink pearls]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A portrait of Mrs Harold Nickols wearing a two-string of blush-pink pearls]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A portrait of Mrs Harold Nickols wearing a two-string of blush-pink pearls]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘In my twenties I was asked by a newspaper to test out an orgasm machine. I said, "Absolutely"’: Elizabeth Day on her early career in journalism and consuming passions ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/elizabeth-day-in-my-twenties-i-was-asked-by-a-newspaper-to-test-out-an-orgasm-machine-i-said-absolutely-slap-the-electrodes-on-me</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The author and journalist chats to Lotte Brundle. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:15:06 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zfnH2ce4UKjzpRsT9adLiT-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Jacquetta Clark]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Elizabeth Day]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Elizabeth Day]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Elizabeth Day]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ The curious case of Cecil Beaton and Madame X ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/the-curious-case-of-cecil-beaton-and-madame-x</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ When he noticed an uncanny resemblance between John Singer Sargent’s painting of Virginie Gautreau and a Cecil Beaton portrait of Leslie Caron,Patrick Monahancalled on the Hollywood Golden Age actress to investigate. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 19 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:00:50 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Monahan ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PmBceUmj5up67wxu72adk9-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Hulton Archive/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Cecil Beaton and his reflection, circa 1930, poses with his hands raised]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Cecil Beaton and his reflection, circa 1930, poses with his hands raised]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Cecil Beaton and his reflection, circa 1930, poses with his hands raised]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Eccentric, awe-inspiring and a home-from-home for literary giants: Why the London Library is an institution like no other ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/there-is-nowhere-else-quite-so-full-of-illustrious-stories-and-yet-so-welcoming-in-the-capital-why-the-london-library-is-an-institution-like-no-other</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ The London Library is celebrating 180 years in St James’s Square. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:32:20 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Architecture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Emma Hughes ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xPqCM5tSQ3DSVnE6jG6PeQ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[London Library Reading Room ©SimonBrown]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The London Library, &#039;an extraordinary place: visually a cross between White’s and the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark,&#039; writes Emma Hughes.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Inside a pink carpeted library]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Inside a pink carpeted library]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ A five minute guide to Wayne Thiebaud — the artist who 'reinvented still life as a genre and found fame in the process' ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/a-five-minute-guide-to-wayne-thiebaud-the-artist-who-reinvented-still-life-as-a-genre-and-found-fame-in-the-process</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The Courtauld Institute is staging the first-ever exhibition of Wayne Thiebaud's work. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:10 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YvwD6gqFbmBqeY5cE9sMvT-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Wayne Thiebaud VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Wayne Thiebaud in his studio in Sacramento with his painting &#039;Pies&#039; in the background. Photographed by Betty Jean Thiebaud, in 1961. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Wayne Thiebaud in 1961, sitting with crossed arms infront of one of his still life paintings of slices of cake]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Wayne Thiebaud in 1961, sitting with crossed arms infront of one of his still life paintings of slices of cake]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ What is everyone talking about this week: Does Britain need its own Met Gala? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/what-is-everyone-talking-about-this-week-does-britain-need-its-own-met-gala</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Will Hosie questions what form the British Museum's upcoming fundraising gala should take. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Will Hosie ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tep6ALYEWziy67DJ9VmKNm-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Zendaya attends the 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Zendaya on the steps of the Met Gala]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Zendaya on the steps of the Met Gala]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Five émigré artists who greatly enriched Britain's intellectual and creative scenes  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/five-emigre-artists-who-greatly-enriched-britains-intellectual-and-creative-scenes</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Frieze Masters kicks off this week and several contributing galleries are using it to shine a spotlight on the artistic contribution of émigrés past and present. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:11 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WhMX5A2dTuxn8xem25yMpj-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Bridgeman Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Lucien Freud in 2005. The artist sought refuge in Britain, from Germany, in 1933. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Lucien Freud in his studio, at nighttime, topless]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Lucien Freud in his studio, at nighttime, topless]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Nine of Britain's most beautiful and awe-inspiring painted ceilings from the Country Life archive ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/nine-of-britains-most-beautiful-and-awe-inspiring-painted-ceilings-from-the-country-life-archive</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Our round-up of some of the Britain's prettiest painted ceilings is a good reminder to always look up. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:57:51 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Melanie Bryan ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PyzGerUrXbiv849gPi52Dn-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Will Pryce for Country Life]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[The ceiling of the Painted Hall ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The ceiling of the Painted Hall ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The ceiling of the Painted Hall ]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘One remembers not to give the Queen a thump of joyful friendliness’: Remembering Norman Parkinson — revolutionary fashion photographer and Cecil Beaton’s only homegrown rival ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/people/one-remembers-not-to-give-the-queen-a-thump-of-joyful-friendliness-remembering-norman-parkinson-revolutionary-fashion-photographer-and-cecil-beatons-only-homegrown-rival</link>
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                            <![CDATA[ Cecil Beaton might be the toast of London right now, with a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, but contemporary Norman Parkinson was always hot on his heels. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Robin Muir ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZQYcMbK5isorH7CgNHgCfJ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Roger George Clark/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Norman Parkinson photographed in Twickenham, in 1983. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[British photographer Norman Parkinson holding a camera and leaning on a balustrade at Riverside Gardens, Twickenham]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[British photographer Norman Parkinson holding a camera and leaning on a balustrade at Riverside Gardens, Twickenham]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Tim Knox, director of the Royal Collection, charts a century of regal taste ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/tim-knox-director-of-the-royal-collection-charts-a-century-of-regal-taste</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Edward VII swept away the cobwebs of mid-Victorian style, Queen Mary had passion for all things small and the Queen Mother bought rather avant-garde art. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:57:53 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tim Knox ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dX7eAEh5ZwNdsdviUezhFo-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Paul Barker for Country Life]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The billiard room at Osborne House which opens off the drawing room through a screen of columns. Queen Victoria sometimes played billiards after lunch.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Osborne House billiard room]]></media:text>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ ‘One of the most amazing spaces in London’: Two Hogarth murals, inside an 18th century London hospital, are to go on public display for the first time ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/it-will-become-one-of-the-most-amazing-spaces-in-london-hogarth-murals-in-18th-century-hospital-open-to-the-public-for-the-first-time</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ St Bartholomew's Hospital’s north wing is to open as a visitor attraction and events space — while the rest of the hospital will continue to operate as normal. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:58:43 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lotte Brundle ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QaGsYchgWjFSYv3zpfM2y5-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Matthew Andrews/Courtesy of Barts Health NHS Trust Archives]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[One of Hogarth&#039;s murals — in all of its fully restored glory.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A Hogarth mural]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A Hogarth mural]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ What to expect when you start collecting ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/what-to-expect-when-you-start-collecting</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Starting a new collection can be daunting. Art advisor Patrick Monahan shares his top tips on what and how to buy and what to avoid. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 07 Oct 2025 15:59:09 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Monahan ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ovNqQM95Kq6QRAmE2Mani5-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy/Cosmo Candina]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Stamp Collection]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Stamp Collection]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Stamp Collection]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Each of my active ancestors had the good sense and taste to purchase or commission the outstanding work of their time': Meet the collecting dynasties ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/each-of-my-active-ancestors-had-the-good-sense-and-taste-to-purchase-or-commission-the-outstanding-work-of-their-time-meet-the-collecting-dynasties</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Whether it is adding contemporary paintings to a gallery of Old Masters or branching out into territories as diverse as Modernist chairs, Iranian tiles or Churchill memorabilia, the passion for collecting seems to run in some families. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 05 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Eleanor Doughty ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uyzF8RVh53c2P2ANdF2q79-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Joe Bailey/Country Life/Future]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Orlando Rock&#039;s collecting bug was inherited from his father.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Orlando Rock photographed sitting in his living room at Burghley]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Orlando Rock photographed sitting in his living room at Burghley]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Diversity in style and diversity in location: London's best art is all around us ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/frieze-freud-and-the-great-range-of-londons-artistic-institutions</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ London's hotels, pubs and restaurants show the great depth of the capital's artistic tastes. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:57:26 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Art &amp; Exhibitions]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Interiors]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Will Hosie ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HNCGQ8D5SBoVRUYdXt8iQP-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Oskar Proctor/Broadwick Soho]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Enough to make any museum blush, works on the walls of Broadwick Soho include pieces by Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Victor Pasmore and Zanele Muholi.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Artwork adorns the walls at the Broadwick in Soho]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Artwork adorns the walls at the Broadwick in Soho]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Wedgwood's craftspeople produce objects that dignify our lives daily in countless ways —here's hoping that better times lie ahead ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/wedgwoods-craftspeople-produce-objects-that-dignify-our-lives-daily-in-countless-ways-heres-hoping-that-better-times-lie-ahead</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Country Life's cultural commentator Athena analyses the concerning developments at Wedgwood. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Athena ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s5cnSL94ySrmBwVjqQt6vm-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) at work in his Etruria Works near Hanley Staffordshire]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) at work in his Etruria Works near Hanley Staffordshire]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) at work in his Etruria Works near Hanley Staffordshire]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'There were no fireworks. The art world remained unshaken. Then, this April, a letter arrived... to see it hanging in Tate will be very special': Art dealer John Martin on the piece he'd never part with ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/there-were-no-fireworks-the-art-world-remained-unshaken-then-this-april-a-letter-arrived-to-see-it-hanging-in-tate-will-be-very-special-art-dealer-john-martin-on-the-piece-hed-never-part-with</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A chance encounter with a huge, shimmering panel led art dealer John Martin to discover Nigerian sculptor Asiru Olatunde, a man who also owed his artistic career to an accidental find, as Carla Passino learns. ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:08:08 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:08:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Carla Passino ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p7gQzRBXVzHECyFafKWW8h-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Prudence Cuming courtesy of Tate Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A glittering blend of cultures: created by Nigerian blacksmith Asiru Olatunde in the 1960s, The Garden of Eden tells the Bible story through African scenes, from serpent to expulsion by elephant.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Asiru Olatunde&#039;s The Garden of Eden]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Asiru Olatunde&#039;s The Garden of Eden]]></media:title>
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                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'It’s always been more about the things than the money': The family crafting silk for Strictly, Highgrove, the House of Commons and Westminster Abbey ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/its-always-been-more-about-the-things-than-the-money-the-family-crafting-silk-for-strictly-highgrove-the-house-of-commons-and-westminster-abbey</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ For half a century, Beckford Silk has been supplying remarkable textiles since 1975. Ben Lerwill discovers what makes its wares materially different ]]>
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                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:48:36 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Antiques &amp; Collecting]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Gardens &amp; Interiors]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ben Lerwill ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xAB6dXoUyG64UVV64oD83W-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[John Ash]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A book covered in silk cuttings]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A book covered in silk cuttings]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A book covered in silk cuttings]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
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