A dead quail in a matchbox... but to Kate it's art

She has been the muse of artists such as Lucian Freud - but now Kate Moss is building up a bizarre art collection of her own.

The supermodel has invested £50,000 in contemporary artworks, which she houses at her Cotswolds mansion.

They include a stuffed quail curled up in the foetal position in a matchbox, entitled When We Were Children. There is also a bluetit lying across a prayer book, called To Every Seed His Own Body.

Kate, 32, spent £10,000 on the two pieces by artist Polly Morgan, which are rumoured to have caused tensions with her animal-loving friends Sadie Frost and Stella McCartney.

But a friend said: "She thinks the animals are beautiful and as they died of natural causes, she isn't worried about Sadie or Stella's opinions."

Her collection, started six months ago, also features work by Petroc Dragon Sesti, whose past work has included latex liquid-filled sacks suspended from the ceiling.

Turbulent relationship

Kate bought a large glass dome containing swirling oil and water, described by Sesti as "exploring notions of space, energy and time". A friend said: "Kate was quite taken by Petroc's mystical pieces and found the whirlpool series mesmerising."

Kate sees her turbulent relationship with Pete Doherty reflected in a video installation based on Wagner's tragic love story Tristan And Isolde.

The piece forms part of US artist Bill Viola's Tristan Project series. A friend said: "Kate loved The Tristan Project as it captures the intensity of Wagner's love story. There are many comparisons in how she feels about Pete represented in the piece."

Moss is said to have wanted to start her collection last year with Lucian Freud's naked portrait of her, painted in 2002 when she was pregnant with daughter Lila Grace - but it went to an anonymous bidder for £4million.