The Apartment Where Time Stood Still for 70 Years

This is a story about a young girl forced to leave her home at the brink of the Second World War. Just before its horror was unleashed upon Europe, the 21-year-old Ms De Florian closed up her apartment in Parice. She simply closed up the shutters and all the windows, drew the curtains and locked the door, leaving the property as if she was going to the market and would be back in a couple of hours.

Hours became days, the days – months and the months – years. Seven decades later the apartment was still protected only by those shutters and a century-old front door with just as antiquated lock. Whether it was the painful memories of the past or other reasons Mrs De Florian never returned to her Parisian property. After she passed away at the age of 91, the heirs tasked a team of experts to do a full inventory of her belongings.

Behind a stiff lock, not once touched in 70 years, lay a whole new world. The team who had the honour of unlocking the door described is as “stumbling into the sleeping beauty castle”. In the lonely Parisian apartment time stood still, frozen in an era few of us can truly comprehend. Thick layers of dust on surface of the neatly arranged dwelling, fusty air, cobwebs and all-consuming silence met the intruders. This was truly once-in-a-lifetime experience, believe our resident cleaning experts from Sydney. Each item needed special care and attention – proper cleaning with special products which wouldn’t damage the antique surface. After properly dusting and sanitising the property inch by inch, everything had to be documented, categorised and evaluated.

However, this is not a story about how they cleaned 70 years worth of dust. It’s not about why Mrs De Florian never came back or why no one visited or robbed the property in 70 years. This is a fairy tale come true… In a castle, long forgotten by its princess, lied a treasure…. or at least this is how I imagine the story should begin as in the stuffy Parisian apartment lay a hidden gem – a painting of Mrs De Florian’s grandmother when she was 24. One would say that many people hired artists to perpetuate them in portraits. However, not everyone had the honour of having their portrait painted by Giovanni Boldini – one of the most significant names from the Belle Epoque.

While the painting was never listed or published it was hard to confirm who was her creator but a stack of love letters, carefully wrapped in a ribbon, were found near the portrait. Authentication confirmed they were written by Boldini. Additionally, his wife had also mentioned the painting in her memoires. After it was certain the portrait of Marthe De Florian (actress and socialite) was truly the work of the world-renowned portrait painter, it was auctioned.

While the bid started at 230,000 ten passionate collectors tried to purchase it. The happy owner paid €2.1 million. It’s the highest price a Boldini painting has ever reached but it was the price of passion for the collector.