The Elizabeth Taylor Ceremonial Cape from "Cleopatra." ...

Description

The Elizabeth Taylor Ceremonial Cape from "Cleopatra." 20th Century Fox, 1963. Crafted to resemble the wings of a Phoenix, ornate piece is made of very thin panels of gold-painted leather adorned with hand-stitched gold bugle beads, seed beads, and bead-anchored sequins, visible areas of mesh lining offset each beaded panel, two hidden hook-and-eye closures sewn along the front; worn as the star portrayed the title character in two pivotal scenes: Cleopatra's dramatic entrance to Rome (the most lavish portrayal of this event in film history) and Cleopatra's dramatic 'exit' by asp bite; included with images of Taylor wearing this cape. (Please note there is evident wear due to age, some beads are missing around the collar and other areas, and some minor tears appear on the mesh lining.) Accompanied by a large format image of Taylor wearing the cape during the filming of "Cleopatra".
Cape's Wingspan: 124" with 62" from the center seam to each tip

Elizabeth Taylor was featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles wearing this cape, most famously on the cover of the October 6, 1961 issue of 'Life.' While the $194,800 budget for Taylor's costumes was the highest ever for a single actor at the time, the film's costume designer, Irene Sharaff, made good use of it, winning an Academy Award for 'Best Costume Design, Color' for her work.

Most recently, in the February 26, 2012 broadcast of "The 84 Annual Academy Awards," an image of Elizabeth Taylor wearing this cape was shown at the very end of the moving 'In Memoriam' tribute.

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