![Tripping the light fantastic](https://cdn.magzter.com/1387284093/1718713852/articles/gmqDQYXfG1718785774066/TRIPPING-THE-LIGHT-FANTASTIC.jpg)
IT took 1,000 beetles to make one of the most celebrated dresses of the 1880s. Audiences gasped when Ellen Terry made her entrance as Lady Macbeth, her costume shimmering with the sheeny wings of green jewel beetles. The showstopper caused Oscar Wilde to remark that Shakespeare's villainess evidently 'took care to do her shopping in Byzantium'. Society portraitist John Singer Sargent, who loved to paint lustrous fabrics, was also captivated and the actress posed for him, arms uplifted, crown held aloft, in what was to become one of his most arresting works.
The theatrical trick that dazzled them all was iridescence. One of Nature's special effects, it occurs when a surface appears to change colour, depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Jewel beetles are some of its glossiest exponents, the many reflective layers of their wing casings producing metallic greens and blues. These have been used decoratively in Asia for centuries, embroidered into clothing and appliquéd to leather. The ancient Egyptians placed them reverently in burial chambers: crushed to a powder, they decorate a cane in Tutankhamun's tomb.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 19, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 19, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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![Full steam ahead](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/_1mDoVc331718787652188/FULL-STEAM-AHEAD.jpg)
Full steam ahead
The railway may have started its artistic life as a fire-breathing monster that devoured the countryside, but it soon became an emblem of advancing modernity, a cherished memento of the past and even, in the case of one station, the centre of the universe
![Stars in the East](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/L4ce-EqXu1718786942099/STARS-IN-THE-EAST.jpg)
Stars in the East
Continuing from last week, further East Anglian properties include a moat beloved by wildlife, a Georgian hunting lodge on the site of a Civil War battlefield and a well-restored manor with a Tudor-hall wedding venue
!['The oldest Old Thing in England'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/7ptf95Wvq1718788623883/THE-OLDEST-OLD-THING-IN-ENGLAND.jpg)
'The oldest Old Thing in England'
Shakespeare was by no means the first to portray the mischievous Puck, a sprite of ancient lineage, with his ass's head, discovers Ian Morton
![Coward on a mission](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/1gHkiFcfT1718788356039/COWARD-ON-A-MISSION.jpg)
Coward on a mission
A revival of Noël Coward's final work reminds one of the emotional depth behind the laughs
![Having the last laugh](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/jVNG7HoEU1718788077620/HAVING-THE-LAST-LAUGH.jpg)
Having the last laugh
Rotting teeth, modelling woes and an appreciation for solemnity have historically conspired to make painted grins a rarity, but beaming faces never fail to beguile, finds Claudia Pritchard
![Mother of herbs](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/6vIwLBYlx1718787487440/MOTHER-OF-HERBS.jpg)
Mother of herbs
Enjoying a strange association with childbirth, mugwort is of more use in the kitchen and may even induce 'lucid dreams', finds John Wright
![Bourne to run](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/qDepfNjWf1718787214574/BOURNE-TO-RUN.jpg)
Bourne to run
The garden at Emmetts Mill, Chobham, Surrey A flat waterside site has been transformed into a garden full of drama with plenty of delightful places to stop and enjoy the view, writes Kathryn Bradley-Hole
![Design brought to life](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/9528MQvjF1718786765396/DESIGN-BROUGHT-TO-LIFE.jpg)
Design brought to life
The 2024 WOW!house is a delightful parallel universe of creativity, finds Giles Kime
![Bend it like Beckham](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/GMtGFFxC71718786461992/BEND-IT-LIKE-BECKHAM.jpg)
Bend it like Beckham
Chippendale, Scotland's only independent furniture school, bears a huge name to live up to, but with courses in wood-bending, marquetry, upholstery, restoration and more, it is flourishing under a new generation, finds Mary Miers
!['Makes Buckingham Palace seem rather dull'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/OnMvYKa4B1718786130432/MAKES-BUCKINGHAM-PALACE-SEEM-RATHER-DULL.jpg)
'Makes Buckingham Palace seem rather dull'
The London homes of the British aristocracy were often grander than their country counterparts, palatial without ever being called palaces, says Lucien de Guise