Ceausescu's gift for extravagance – a bronze yak

What do you give the dictator who had everything? A carpet depicting your family? A leopard pelt? Or maybe even a bronze yak?

These are some of the gifts given to Nicolae Ceausescu, which were to be auctioned in Bucharest yesterday. The auction – called "The Golden Age" – refers to the final years of Ceausescu's rule. The Romanian dictator was killed in an uprising in 1989.

Among the items up for grabs are the yak, given to Ceausescu by Mao Tse-tung, and golden doves received from the Shah of Iran. There are also posters, medals, photographs and flags.

AP