Paris Ritz auction items to go on public display
Over 10,000 precious items set to be auctioned from the Paris Ritz hotel will go on public display this April 12-16, with prices ranging from €80 for a candlestick to €10,000 for two marble gaslights from the old hotel entrance corridor.
The public viewing will take place ahead of the auction by French-based, global auction house Artcurial. It will be open everyday from 11h to 19h, except on April 16, which is by appointment only.
The auction comes six years after the 159-bedroom hotel was closed for a four-year renovation project in 2012, with all of the objects coming from before the revamp.
The furniture, lights and other classic objects have been catalogued by a team of 10 curators, and there are 3,406 lots in total (many containing several parts).
Bidding itself will begin at 10am in Paris from April 17, with new lots presented everyday until April 21. Bidding by phone is available for those with prior arrangement, as explained in more detail on the Artcurial website.
The huge list of available pieces is in five parts, with the starting price for each item or collection of items, displayed in the online catalogue.
The list includes chandeliers, lights, bar stools, glasses, plates and dining sets, mirrors, upholstered benches, sofas and armchairs; restaurant tables and chairs; beds, curtains, minibars, screens, monogrammed carpets, clocks, paintings, candelabras, vases, doorknobs, in-room pet seats, chaise longues, artful television stands, and even hotel bathrobes and towels with the classic golden logo monogrammed on the peach background that was said to have been originally chosen by founder hotelier César Ritz himself.
There are also a number of beautiful antique signs available, including one hallway direction sign - pointing out areas including the Ritz Bar Terrasse, the famous Escoffier-founded L’Espadon restaurant, and the Bar Vendôme - as well as a golden plaque that used to hang in the Bar Hemingway.
Homage is paid to famous guests too; the auction includes photos of French haute-couture designer Chanel at the Ritz, as well as items from the Suite Mademoiselle Chanel, including bedside tables and carpets. There are also lots from inside the F. Scott Fitzgerald Suite.
The hotel - which first opened in 1898 and has since been featured in countless works of literature and art - reopened following the latest update in June 2016.
