As well as taking inspiration from Cleopatra’s feast, McLaughlin was drawn to the famous masked ball that took place in Venice in 1953, considered to be one of the most lavish events of all time. So Cleopatra and this considerably later event fused into one, including seats in the form of Egyptian thrones, with heavily outlined eyes, like Cleopatra’s, sewn on to the peacocks forming the centerpiece. A pond on the table paid homage to both the Egyptian oasis and also the canals in Venice. Visitors would have also noticed the unusual jewellery scattered across the table, collected by McLaughlin on her many trips, including Argentina, which she fondly recalls. “Everything has literally been made by hand, hence the reason it took me six months to complete,” she adds.