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.

LE CARRE HERMES BOOK

HERMES RECENTLY HAD A STUNNING BOOK PUBLISHED DETAILING THE HISTORY OF THEIR ICONIC CARRES SCARVES. WRITTEN BY FASHION AND ART WRITER NADINE COLENO AND PUBLISHED BY PARISIAN PUBLISHER EDITIONS DU REGARD, THE BOOK DETAILS THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE HERMES CARRE SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1837. THE BOOK FEATURES ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND NOTABLE CARRES AS WELL AS THE LIMITED EDITION ONES AND ONES MADE FOR CHARITY. TWO VERSIONS OF THE BOOK WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, A STANDARD EDITION WHICH IS WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR £70.00 AND A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION WHICH IS BOUND IN A SILK CARRE AND FEATURES GOLD GILDED PAGES WHICH WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE AT SELECT HERMES BOUTIQUES.

YVES SAINT LAURENT'S RUE DE BABYLONE APARTMENT FOR SALE

FAMED ICONIC FRENCH FASHION DESIGNER YVES SAINT LAURENT'S INCREDIBLE COLLECTIONS OF ANTIQUES, ART, FURNITURE, DECORATIVE OBJECTS AND STUNNING PERSONAL EFFECTS WERE RECENTLY SOLD AT A SERIES OF HISTORIC RECORD BREAKING AUCTIONS, WHICH SAW A TOTAL A TOTAL OF OVER $700 MILLION IN LOT SALES. NOW THE LEGENDARY COUTURIER'S PARIS DUPLEX ON THE RUE DE BABYLONE, WHICH HOUSED MANY OF HIS MOST BELOVED PRIZED POSSESSIONS COLLECTED WITH LONGTIME PARTNER PIERRE BERGE OVER A PERIOD OF DECADES, IS BEING PUT UP FOR SALE AS WELL. THE 5,400 sqft APARTMENT WITH A MASSIVE GARDEN HAS BEEN LISTED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS PARIS-BASED AGENCY EMILLE GARCIN AND IS EXPECTED TO FETCH AT LEAST $30 MILLION, ACCORDING TO A RECENT ARTICLE IN WWD.

SOTHEBY'S SELL ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FOR $1.5 MILLION

AN ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF PANEL WITH DIONYSIAN DECORATIONS THAT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED TO ONCE HAVE BEEN IN THE COLLECTION OF FAMED FRENCH WRITER EMILE ZOLA SOLD FOR $1,538,500 AT SOTHEBY'S, NEW YORK. SIX BIDDERS COMPETED FOR THE HISTORIC PIECE WHICH EVENTUALLY SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS TELEPHONE BIDDER. IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF TEH SALE WHICH TOTALED $5.8 MILLION, WELL IN EXCESS OF THE $2.3/3.5 MILLION ESTIMATE. DISCUSSING THE SALE A SPOKESPERSON FOR SOTHEBY'S SAID: 'WE ARE THRILLED WITH THE $1.5 MILLION ACHIEVED FOR THE ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS RELIEF. THE PIECE BOASTS REMARKABLE OWNERSHIP HISTORY, HAVING BELONGED NOT ONLY TO EMILE ZOLA, BUT AT TIMES OVER THE PAST 100 YEARS TO THE ACTRESS CECILE SOREL AND PAUL REYNAUD THE FORMER FRENCH HEAD OF STATE. WE ARE ABLE TO TRACE UNBROKEN PROVENANCE TRACE BACK OVER 500 YEARS.'

FRENCH POLICE RECOVER STOLEN CARTIER JEWELRY FROM 26.NOVEMBER ROBBERY

POLICE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE RECOVERED NEARLY $1,181,900 IN JEWELRY AND GEMS STOLEN LAST MONTH IN A SMASH AND GRAB ROBBERY AT A CARTIER BOUTIQUE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN CITY OF LYON. A POLICE OFFICIAL, SPEAKING ON THE CONDITION OF ANONYMITY BECAUSE OF DEPARTMENT POLICY, SAID OFFICERS CAME ACROSS THE AMAZING STASH OF JEWELS BY ACCIDENT WHILE SEARCHING THE APARTMENT OF A SUSPECT IN ANOTHER JEWELRY THEFT. THE SUSPECT IS STILL AT LARGE. IN THE 26.NOVEMBER ATTACK ON THE CARTIER STORE, THIEVES USED A SLEDGEHAMMER TO SMASH THROUGH THE REINFORCED GLASS ON DOWNTOWN STOREFRONT. THEY THEN SWIPED JEWELRY AND WATCHES FROM SEVERAL DISPLAY CASES. THE ATTACKERS ROUGHED UP THE STORE'S MANAGER AND SLAPPED ONE CUSTOMER BY NO ONE WAS INJURED.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS RARE CUCCI CABINET FOR £4,521,250

COMBINING SUPERB FLORENTINE PIETRE DURE PLAQUES WITH OPULENT GILT BRONZE MOUNTS, ELABORATE MARQUETRY AND BEAUTIFULLY MODELED FIGURATIVE CARVINGS, THE STUNNING CABINET IS A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE MAGNIFICENT CABINETS PRODUCED IN PARIS IN THE MID-17th CENTURY. ALMOST CERTAINLY A GIFT TO QUEEN HEDVIG ELEONORA OF SWEDEN, OD PERHAPS COMMISSIONED BY HER, IT IS ONE OF ONLY VERY FEW SURVIVING CABINETS EXECUTED AT THE ROYAL GOBELINS WORKSHOPS IN PARIS. IT ILLUSTRATES THE BRILLIANCE OF THE BEST ITALIAN, FRENCH AND FLEMISH ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN WHO HAD BEEN DRAWN TOGETHER AT THE GOBELINS AND EXEMPLIFIES THE LUXURIOUS SOPHISTICATION OF EARLY BAROQUE AT THE ROYAL COURTS AT VERSAILLES AND STOCKHOLM. MARCUS RADECKE, DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF THE AUCTION HOUSE THAT SOLD THE CABINET: 'WE ARE THRILLED WITH THE RESULT ACHIEVED BY THE MAGNIFICENT CUCCI CABINET FROM THE MARCH FAMILY COLLECTION, WHICH REALIZED £4,521,250, SELLING TO AN ANONYMOUS BIDDER IN THE TELEPHONE. A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY, THIS RARE SURVIVAL FROM THE GOBELINS WORKSHOPS ATTRACTED INTERNATIONAL INTEREST AND DREW COLLECTORS, INSTITUTIONS AND DEALERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO CHRISTIE'S LONDON.' CHRISTIE'S IS PROUD OF ITS STELLAR HISTORY WHICH WAS FOUNDED ON PRESENTING SOME OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF FURNITURE IN EXISTENCE TO THE MARKET OVER THE PAST 243 YEARS AND HOLDS THE RECORD FOR 8 OF THE TOP 10 EUROPEAN FURNITURE LOTS SOLD AT AUCTION. IN DECEMBER 2004 THE BADMINTON CABINET, COMMISSIONED BY HENRY SOMERSET, 3rd DUKE OF BEAUFORT, FROM THE GRAND DUCAL WORKSHOPS, WAS SOLD FOR £19.1 million, SETTING THE WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR ANY PIECE OF TRADITIONAL FURNITURE.

THIEVES STEAL ARTISTS £3,000 AND REPLACE IT WITH A 40p VERSION.

A £3,000 BRICK ON SHOW AT AN ART EXHIBITION HAS BEEN STOLEN, AND REPLACED WITH A 40p VERSION. ARTIST GAVIN TURK'S 'REVOLTING BRICK' WORK WAS TAKEN FROM ITS PLINTH AT AN EXHIBITION IN PECKHAM, SOUTH EAST LONDON. IT WAS REPLACED WITH A BLACKENED BRICK EMBLAZONED WITH THE WORDS: 'THANK YOU HAVE A NICE DAY, NEXT'. SHOW ORGANIZERS NOTICED THE ARTWORK HAD BEEN STOLEN JUST A DAY BEFORE THE TWO-WEEK EVENT AT AREA 10 PROJECT WAS DUE TO CLOSE. SPOKESMAN DIMITRI LAUNDER SAID; 'IT IS DISAPPOINTING, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT IT, WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR A RANSOM.' THE STOLEN BRICK IS NUMBER EIGHT IN A SERIES OF TEN CREATED BY TURK, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE 'YOUNG BRITISH ARTISTS' MOVEMENT ALONGSIDE DAMIEN HIRST.THE REPLACEMENT BRICK WAS PLUCKED FROM A PILE OF 500 BRICKS I ANOTHER PART OF THE GALLERY, WHICH VISITORS WERE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE AWAY. JACK BURTON, WHO ORGANIZED THE 'BRICKS' EXHIBITION, SAID THERE WOULD BE A REWARD FOR INFORMATION. 'THE ARTIST IS UPSET, BUT FLATTERED', HE SAID. 'I HAD JUST LEFT THE SPACE TO GET TAKEAWAY FOR LUNCH WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM AN ATTENDANT ASKING ME WHERE GAVIN'S ARTWORK WAS. IT TURNED OUT A GROUP THAT HAD JUST LEFT THE GALLERY HAD SWAPPED GAVIN'S BRICK WITH A FAKE VERSION. WE JUST WANT THE BRICK BACK, IT'S SUCH A SHAME FOR TEH SHOW TO END THIS WAY, WITH A POLICE INVESTIGATION.'