Just days before it was due to go on view at Queen Elizabeth II's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, puzzle master Dave Evans's chef d'oeuvre, a 40,000-piece jigsaw puzzle celebrating the queen's Diamond Jubilee crashed to his studio's floor (see video below), instantly undoing more than 200 hours of work.
"I'm literally over the moon that I've finally reached the last piece," Evans told the Independent prior to the puzzle's collapse. "My fingers are sore, my eyes are tired but my heart is full of pride and I honestly couldn't have done this without the backing of a superb team. I feel like I've reached my own moon landing and the eagle has landed."
It's unclear how the 19.5-foot-wide, eight-foot-tall jigsaw's destruction will affect its certification as the largest in the world by Guinness World Records. In the meantime, Evans has be racing to reassemble the hand-cut puzzle, which was due to go on view at the Queen's estate today.
-Benjamin Sutton, BLOUIN ARTINFO
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