This spring, a three-day, 1500-lot sale of beautiful items from Hotel Ritz, Madrid will head to auction. Crystal chandeliers, four-poster beds, tables, chairs, tapestries, mirrors and candlesticks... a whole swathe of Madrid’s history will be coming under the hammer from May 7 to 9, 2018, in a sale through auctioneer Ansorena with Paris-based Piasa.

A cocktail created by Salvador Dali, a piano tinkled by Frank Sinatra, a salon transformed into a hospital during the Spanish Civil War... Hotel Ritz, Madrid has a trove of treasured memories from its century-long existence. This historic landmark property, managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, officially closed on 28 February 2018 for a comprehensive and careful restoration, which is expected to complete in late 2019. The extensive work will significantly upgrade the hotel’s facilities and services, while maintaining its unique character, with the aim of enhancing the property’s appeal to local and international guests alike, while celebrating César Ritz’s pioneering spirit.

Hotel Ritz, Madrid celebrated its grand Opening on 2 October 1910. The ceremony of what was already meant to be one of the Europe’s finest hotels was performed by guests of honour, King Alfonso XIII and his Queen Victoria Eugenia, granddaughter of the English Monarch Queen Victoria.

Charles Mewes, the brilliant architect of the Ritz in Paris, was commissioned by Cesar Ritz to submit plans, with the assistance of two Spanish architects, Luis de Landecho and Lorenzo Gallego. The elegant structure of the Ritz Madrid was actually the first steel framed building in Spain at the time.
Nelson Mandela, Eva Perón, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Madonna are amongst the hotel’s celebrity guests.

Salvador Dali was a regular customer at the Ritz bar, which was celebrated with the creation of the Dalitini cocktail, the first Dali ever tasted, made from Cointreau, vermouth and vodka, colored red with cherry extract in tribute to the drops of blood the young Dali once accidentally spilt into his Martini.