Putting The Original Ritz Furnishings On Sale

Putting on the Ritz came to denote a total abandonment to opulence and luxury, the highest echelon  that money could buy.  The glorious period furnishings  that originally made the Ritz the ritziest hotel on earth at that time is now for sale.

Sunday, I stood in a long line on the Champs Elysees to see first hand these sumptuous original furnishings on display before they will be auctioned off, having started Monday.

Yours truly, looking ridiculously silly in a receptionist hat for this souvenir photo had absolutely nothing to do with the auction, nor the Ritz hotel!

Artcurial,  the auction house,  is housed in a sumptuous and impressive mansion Marcel Dassault, behind  striking  and intimidating blue gold tipped fence and gates on the Rond Point des Champs Élysees.

The mansion was festooned with Ritz awnings for the event, leading some tourists to believe that the famous hotel was located there.

These photos are of the Marcel Dassault mansion housing the Ritz auction, not the actual hotel!

The mythic and legendary Ritz Hotel in Paris saw the light of the day in 1898. It was the brainchild of a rags to riches Swiss man, called Cézar Ritz.

Hard to believe that this poor farmer’s son from very humble beginnings would go on to have his name associated with all that is royally deluxe.

He along with Auguste Escoffier ran the hotel, with Escoffier developing the famed L’Espadon restaurant to the ultimate temple of Parisian gastronomy.

The hotel stayed in the Ritz family till 1976, when it was bought by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayeed.

In 2012 the Ritz hotel begin a renovation and was reopened in 2016, where it still occupies a prime location at 15 Place Vendôme.

I was never a paying guest at the Ritz, but was fortunate enough several times to have been a guest of those who did.

I do have wonderful memories of elegant dining at L’Espadon and a few trips to the overtly masculine decor of the legendary Hemingway bar, with the boat shaped Champagne cooler.

Cézar Ritz, known as the “King of hoteliers and Hotelier to Kings, made sure that his hotel would provide the ultimate pinnacle of  luxury to attract royalty and the wealthy of his time.

He seems to have been especially admiring of self-made American business men, whom he certainly must have identified with having been himself as self made man.

Two of the suites were named after  famous American writers and of course the renown bar after Ernest Hemingway, who enjoyed going there for his libations, after he had achieved some fame.

When Hemingway first arrived in Paris, he was so impoverished, he would try to catch pigeons for dinner at Luxembourg park, and would not have been able to afford stepping in the Ritz for anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vast majority of the furnishings I found jaw dropping gorgeous! There were two or three I would have liked to bid, but the thought of buying anything by auction is frightening and out of my league.

In walking through room after room of fine immaculate Louis XVI upholstered furniture, royal bedecked bedding, bed canopies, draperies, tapestries, paintings worthy of being in a museum, spectacular ornate statuary, and the list goes on.

I was stuck with overwhelming nostalgia and yes even a sadness that all these glories are to be sold.

Frankly, I would have much preferred to have seen them on display in a museum, and the majority of offerings are certainly worthy of that.

Now they will all be scattered to the eyes of some fortunate few, probably to fill up the coffers of the present day owner.

The catalogue was online and the auction will be held over three days starting Monday.

The Ritz collection was very artfully arranged in each room of the 3 floor mansion to mimic how the original settings looked.

Every room I entered was full of breathtaking furniture and outstanding fixtures that I usually see in châteaux.

I imagine the majority wandering through this marvelous display were just interested in seeing up close the interior designs of the Ritz, rather than there to size up possible purchases, but I did see a few stop to ask specifics.

All of the hotel’s suites were memorable, each one done in a certain style and decor, and some more sumptuous than the others.

Frankly I was somewhat taken back by the dark wood hues in the Mademoiselle C suite, more reeking of masculinity than what I would think of Coco Chanel.

The Imperial suite had a red colour scheme and was indeed regal with gold trimmings, yet somehow came off rather stiff and stilted despite the rich dept of colour.

Added to this is the horrendously tragic awareness that Princess Diana of Wales privately dined in these furnishings where she had been staying just before setting out in a chauffeured driven car with Dodi Al Fayeed, the owner’s son who was also killed in the accident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Windsor Suite was resplendent in the prettiest of blues, almost a more pronounced  baby blue.  I loved the tufted  blue Meridian that would be nice to take home.

The F. Scott Fitzgerald suite was in my own eyes, the prettiest, besides the Windsor.

Maybe the pervasive delicate femininity of the room was more a tribute to Zelda than F. Scott, who besides the Great Gatsby, titled one of his books around the Ritz.

I much prefer the dainty chic flowered pastel colors of the original suite over the colour palette used in the renovated one, now going for a mere $7,000 a night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually this beautiful settee immediately brought back nostalgic memories of being a guest of someone who stayed in the Fitzgerald suite, much like Proust’s Madeleine pastry.

There is a Proust Salon by the way and who wouldn’t love to have the sublime harp to play, if you only knew how!  Just plucking the strings would be wonderful celestial music to my ears.

Un Americain in  Paris suite was done in a beautiful rich green, with a single size bed, which I can only presume was meant for a solo tourist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most unusual and unique offering was one of the original bathtubs.  The hotel Ritz was the very first hotel in Paris to incorporate a private bath in each room or suite.

How about a vintage scale found in the health club and spa, which was cut or even a barber’s chair used in the health club and spa, which I can’t imagine anyone wanting!

 

 

One of the most magnificent pieces was this massive brass and mosaic flower “vase” shaped like an ancient ship’s vessel, which would definitely need a very sturdy table to handle its size and weight.

The paintings and artworks were all marvelous and some very unique, like the rocking horse, elephant, and stallion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the lovely brass bedside lamps had multi coloured buttons, certainly to ring for various hotel and concierge services.

There were table and chairs from L’Espadon restaurant and I especially like the rolling drinks server.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those who get hungry spending loads of money at these auctions, there is a cafe in a pretty setting to muse over your next bid.

When I was leaving I spotted this old revolving key cabinet, which might come in handy if you have a lot keys in your castle.

I left with a rather subdued sentiment of sad nostalgia for all the glorious days of Paris past, including my own in this still magnificent city of light.

Paris will always be Paris and perhaps the Ritz will always be an embodiment of her opulence overlooking Place Vendôme.