In 1939, when it became known that the Germans would inevitably occupy Paris, a young lady hastened to move to the south of the country, where it was quieter. The woman locked her apartment in the capital, hoping to return there when everything calms down. For unknown reasons, the landlady never returned to her apartment, although she regularly paid her rent all her life. The owner passed away in 2010. When the heirs crossed the threshold of an apartment unknown to them, everyone's mouths opened in surprise.
Madame de Florian locked her apartment for 72 years.
The landlady's name was Madame de Florian. She gathered in a hurry, so everything in the apartment remained practically untouched. The relatives of Madame de Florian did not know anything about the apartment, and when the will was read out to them, they were very discouraged. To assess the property, they invited a reputable auctioneer Olivier Chopin-Jeanvry. The man's hands trembled with excitement when he turned the key in the keyhole, because no one had been there for more than seven decades.
The interior of an apartment that has not been opened for 72 years.
Dusty dressing table.
It was amazing! It seemed as if time had stopped. On the dressing table, there were dusty jars of cosmetics, combs, boxes. There were cutlery on the dining table. Antique furniture, paintings.
Antique furniture.
Portrait of Martha de Florian by Giovanni Boldini.
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The most expensive lot from this apartment was a painting of a lady in a pink dress ($ 3.4 million). As it turned out, it was a portrait of the grandmother of the owner of the apartment, Martha de Florian. At the end of the 19th century, she was a famous artist. And the portrait belonged to the brush of the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. A letter from the artist with a declaration of love was also found there.
The interior of an apartment that hasn't been opened since 1939.
The relatives were simply shocked by such an inheritance that literally fell on their heads. However, they could not understand only one thing: why Madame Florian, 72 years old, did not tell any of them about her apartment in Paris.