Fans snap up relics of opera diva Callas

Maria Callas, opera Diva

PARIS, France -- A lock of Maria Callas's hair and a cherished painting are among hundreds of personal relics of the legendary opera diva that have been snapped up by fans at an auction held 23 years after her death.

The sale in Paris was broadcast simultaneously over the Internet and cable television and included about 2,000 mementoes of one of the 20th century's most glamorous singers.

Admirers from around the world, who participated by telephone and through the Web over the weekend, bid for items including a personal photo album, a pair of gloves worn by Callas and a post card signed by the Greek-American soprano.

AUDIO The beautiful singing voice of Maria Callas 310K/28.9 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

A lock of Callas's hair fetched 78,000 francs ($10,390) from a buyer in New York and the star of the auction, an 18th-century Italian oil painting entitled "The Holy Family," was bought for 900,000 francs ($119,900)by an anonymous bidder.

A gift from her husband Giovanni Meneghini after a successful opera debut in 1947, the painting became a good luck charm for Callas who, in subsequent years, refused to sing unless it was in her dressing room.

The items on sale, which included furniture, jewellery and various garments worn by Callas, came from the collections of two Italian and Greek admirers of the singer.

Born Maria Kalogeropoulos in New York, Callas gave her first performance in Greece at the age of 18.

Her career skyrocketed when she went to Italy and Paris, but her personal life was riddled with controversy after an intense affair with shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

When Callas died mysteriously in her Paris apartment in 1977at the age of 53, she left behind legions of fans known as Callas Widows. More than 700 of them reportedly reserved seats at the sale.

Her last, reclusive years were marked by emotional instability, and the circumstances of her death have never been fully clarified.

Memories of a legend: Maria Callas souvenir auction

Because she was childless, a court ruled that her estate should be divided among ex-husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini, whom she had not seen in 18 years, her mother and her sister.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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"Divina": The Official Maria Callas Web Site
Vincenzo Bellini

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