DROUOT TO SELL HISTORIC AND RARE MEMENTOS OF PARIS

PIECES OF OLD PARIS FROM A LAMP POST TO A PARK BENCH GO ON THE AUCTION BLOCK NEXT WEEK, WITH THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE BEING 40 IRON STEP FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER, ALL 25.6 FEET OF THEM. 'PARIS MON AMOUR', THE TITLE GIVEN TO THE AUCTION AT THE FAMED FRENCH AUCTION HOUSE DROUOT, BRINGS TOGETHER AN ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF MEMORIES THAT EVOKE A BYGONE ARE AS WELL AS THE PRESENT. AMONG THE 301 ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED IS A SECTION OF GLASS BROKEN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION IN 1987 OF THE GLASS PYRAMID NOW STANDING AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE LOUVRE. ESTIMATED AT $735 TO $1,470, IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT THE TIME. 'I HAVE BEEN THINKING FOR MANY YEARS ABOUT ORGANIZING AN AUCTION CONCERNING PARIS', SAID CHRISTOPHE LUCIEN, WHO PUT THE SALE TOGETHER. THE MOMENT ARRIVED WHEN OFFICIALS OF NOGENT-SUR-MARNE, EAST OF TE CITY, ASKED LUCIEN TO SELL THE SECTION OF THE EIFFEL TOWER STAIRCASE, BOUGHT BY THE TOWN IN 1983 AT AUCTION. 'I THOUGH IT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY. . . BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING MORE SYMBOLIC OF PARIS THAN A STAIRCASE FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER', LUCIEN SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TELEVISION NEWS. 'THINGS MOVED QUICKLY. I JUST SPREAD THE WORD AMONG MY CLIENTS, AND EVERYONE STARTED TO PULL OUT OBJECTS RELATED TO PARIS FROM THEIR DRAWS, CUPBOARDS. . .IN ALMOST EVERY FRENCH FAMILY THERE ARE SOME SOUVENIRS OF PARIS.'
GUSTAVE EIFFEL HIMSELF CLIMBED THE PAINTED IRON STAIR LINKING THE THIRD AND FOURTH FLOORS OF THE TOWER DURING THE 1889 INAUGURATION OF THE MONUMENT, TODAY THE SYMBOL OF PARIS, TO PLANT THE FRENCH FLAG, ACCORDING TO LUCIEN. IT IS ESTIMATED AT $73,500 TO $88.200. POSTERS AND PAINTINGS MAKE UP A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF THE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED, INCLUDING ONE FEATURING THE ICONIC FRENCH SINGER AND ACTOR MAURICE CHEVALIER DANCING WITH THE EIFFEL TOWER DRESSED IN AN EVENING GOWN. THE MOULIN ROUGE, OF COURSE, MAKES SEVERAL APPEARANCES, FROM POSTERS OF THE KICKING LEGS OF CAN-CAN GIRLS TO A DECORATIVE LAMP FROM A DINNER CLUB. THE AUCTION IS TRULY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A PART OF PARISIAN HISTORY.