Photography provided by Sotheby’s/Digital Art Studio
It’s one of the most astonishingly beautiful mansions in all of Paris. Secluded on the tip of the Île St. Louis, the Hôtel Lambert hosted luminaries from Chopin to Delacroix, Brigitte Bardot to Yves Saint Laurent. So when it came time to sell off the estate’s storied treasures, aesthetes around the world took note. Here was a chance to purchase candlesticks owned by Marie Antoinette — truly the sale of a lifetime.
But first, more on the manse itself. The hotel (meaning “palazzo” in French) was designed in 1640 by the same team that built venerable Versailles. Suffice to say, its pedigree is impeccable. Over the years, it’s been home to Voltaire, Baron Guy de Rothschild and Polish Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. During the 20th century, fabulous fetes were hosted here, with celebrated figures like Salvador Dalí and Princess Grace of Monaco in attendance.
Photography by André Ostier
A new era began in 2007, when Qatari Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani bought the property and began a meticulous renovation. Every gilded inch of the estate was restored to period perfection. Next, the sheikh filled the sumptuous suites with some of the finest decorative arts ever assembled. “It is unique not only as one of the world’s greatest collections, but also because it reminds us that such collections continue to be built today,” observes Sotheby’s CEO Charles Stewart.
So astounding was the assortment that Sotheby’s in Paris held five separate live auctions, ultimately taking in a staggering €76.6 million. That set a world auction record for French decorative arts, with proceeds supporting the Al Thani Collection Foundation, a nonprofit promoting art and culture.
Photography provided by Sotheby’s/Digital Art Studio
And what a sale it was. Coveted pieces were snapped up by seven iconic French museums, including Versailles. The top lot was a pair of circa 1784 royal marquise chairs, some of the most important remaining examples of Louis XVI furniture. The epitome of French elegance, they sold for €3,665,000.
A reverence for royalty drove emboldened bidding for a pair of circa 1785 gilt and blue-patinated bronze candelabras previously belonging to Marie Antoinette. Adorned with female figures in Egyptian headdresses, they embody the ancien régime and fetched €655,200.
Photography provided by Sotheby’s/Digital Art Studio
Meanwhile, a lavish circa 1770 French silver soup tureen once owned by Russian Empress Catherine the Great went for €1,184,500. Festooned with acanthus foliage and laurel garlands, the vessel was a gift for her lover, Count Grigory Orlov — the cost of love indeed. Just as irresistible was a circa 1923 hand-painted screen of the Bay of Naples once owned by Coco Chanel. Bringing in €756,000, the work adorned Madame’s famed Paris apartment on Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré.
Even with all these princely treasures off to new owners, the Hôtel Lambert continues to surprise. The residence was purchased in 2022 by French telecom magnate Xavier Niel for a reported €200 million, one of the largest ever private property deals in Paris. And so we now await the next chapter of this magnificent mansion, which will no doubt be a heavily gilded one.
