Last night in #Johannesburg Vladimir #Tretchikoff ’s 1955 masterpiece Lady from the Orient sold for a cool R31.9 million at Strauss & Co’s flagship auction, establishing a new world record for the Russia-born South African artist .

The portrait features 21-year-old Valerie Howe, the daughter of a Cape Town grocer, adorned in an emerald-green gown with intricate gold detailing. Her introspective pose, with eyes gently downcast, evokes the glamour of 1930s Hollywood icons like Anna May Wong, while also nodding to the romantic traditions of the Pre-Raphaelites .

Tretchikoff, often dubbed the “King of Kitsch,” masterfully blended Eastern influences with Western pop culture aesthetics. His works, including the renowned Chinese Girl, achieved immense popularity, with Lady from the Orient becoming the second-best-selling print in Britain by 1962.

The auction itself was a bit dramatic, with 89 bids and then a tense battle between an anonymous telephone bidder and an in-room contender, culminating in a historic sale.

The Royal Antelope is the tiniest antelope in the world, so small it could fit in the palm of your hand. Native to the forests and thickets of West Africa, it moves with gentle steps and lightning-fast hops, vanishing into the undergrowth almost before you’ve seen it.

Weighing just under 3kg and standing barely 25cm tall, the Royal Antelope is mostly active at dusk and night, quietly browsing leaves and fallen fruit while avoiding predators through speed and stealth. It lives a life tucked between roots and shadows, rarely seen, rarely heard, like a forest spirit made real.

In local lore, it’s sometimes seen as a creature of shyness and grace, a symbol of humility. It doesn’t boast or dominate. It just exists in quiet elegance.

Latin: Neotragus pygmaeus: “new goat, little one”

#FediSafari