The Ritz hotel in Paris is auctioning off more than 3,500 pieces of furniture and decorative objects. Founded in 1898, the Ritz reopened two years ago after four years of renovation, so the objects going on sale don’t fit anymore in the new setup.
Ranging from sofas that once filled the salon frequented by novelist Marcel Proust to bar stools that propped up Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920s, the lots cover the sweep of the hotel’s illustrious 120-year history.
Some of the highlights at the auction include the hotel’s first bathtub estimated to fetch between $1,000 – $1,500.
Ritz Paris
A gold sofa set from a salon named after the writer Marcel Proust is expected to fetch up to $1,800, while a pair of black lacquered decorative Chinese junk sailboats from the Coco Chanel suite will be on offer at $2,500.
Among the quirkier items to be auctioned are a Louis XVI style dog bed, estimate $250-380, an old barber’s chair $500 – $750, a Ritz-monogrammed minibar $380 – $650 and three stools from one of its famed bars $1,250 – $1,900.
The entire sale is expected to raise between $1,25 million and $1,9 million.
The auction – organized by Artcurial- will take place from the 17th to the 21st of April in Paris.
