Louvre

L as in Louvre

Autumn 1955: Parisian high society was holding its breath as master auctioneer Étienne Ader prepared to break up one of the most celebrated collections of silverwork in France. An extraordinary collection indeed: Louis-Victor Puiforcat, one of the House's leading figures, indulged a lifelong historical passion for the arts of the table, collecting hundreds of items dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries: a gilded silver eggcup from 1715; a golden beaker said to have touched the lips of Queen Anne of Austria; a silver-plated copper tureen, highly fashionable in the 18th century for presenting meat dishes with sauce, etc..  In all, 373 exceptional lots were about to be sold at auction. 

A dramatic turn of events came about on November 30, 1955: the press announced the cancellation of the sale, elucidating the gratifying grounds a few days later. Famous shipowner and Louvre benefactor Stavros Niarchos had acquired the entire collection with the intention of donating it to the world's greatest museum. This was a godsend for the Objets d'Art Department at the Louvre.  The museum's silverwork collection, hardly worthy of the institution before this gift, at once become truly exceptional.