Book dealer Gilles Tremblay holds a dummy of the marble-covered book offered by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the G8 Summit Tuesday, September 1, 2009 in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
CTV Mon. Sep. 7 2009 12:27 PM ET
MONTREAL -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper received the rarest and most expensive gift doled out at the recent G8 summit, a book given by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appraised by one dealer at up to $460,000. It's a gift more valuable than any recalled by some veterans of international summits and an uncommonly extravagant example of the souvenir trinkets world leaders tend to give each other.
A limited edition book dealer with exclusive rights to distribute the tome in Canada says copy No. 1 -- the one given to Harper -- holds up to double the value of those received by other leaders at the July summit in Italy.But Harper won't get to keep the book. Because federal politicians can't accept gifts worth more than $1,000, the book becomes government property and will likely be donated or displayed. The books given by Berlusconi feature the works of famed neoclassical Venetian sculptor Antonio Canova and are among just 33 copies produced by Italian publishing company Fondazione Marilena Ferrari.(more)
Globe and Mail:
Inside the book are 77 museum-quality photos of Canova’s works by the Neapolitan photographer Mimmo Jodice. The gift includes a hand-inscribed dedication to each of the leaders, and their countries’ anthems. Silk, silver, gold leaf, vegetable dies are among the materials used in the book and the box in which it is contained. In total, 23 Italian and European artists contributed to the project.
The bad news for Canada is that Mr. Berlusconi’s gift ups the ante considerably. Canada is the host of the next G8 summit, in Muskoka, Ont. Whoever is prime minister at the time will have to think twice before sending the leaders away with a bottle of maple syrup.
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