simply-chateau: Truffling in the dark...............

I don`t think I have ever bought a whole truffle load of treasures without seeing them first.... but today was an exception!

A dealer friend, Stephan, who I have known for years telephoned to say he was driving home through the south of France and had stumbled upon a house clearer who had unloaded the attic of a Bordeaux chateau. The chateau-owner had been a judge - and the attics had not been touched since the late 1800s.

I got this telephone call. " I`ve just found a pile of that girly stuff you sell" Stephan said.

He told me there were boxes and boxes of costumes, hats, silk shoes, veils, corsage flowers, dresses, texiles ,ostrich feathers and lace, all in their original Paris boxes. They had just that minute been unloaded from the man`s van - and Stephan had been the lucky person to truffle through them first.

So, it had to be done! My poor friend (who is more "decorative furniture") tried his best to describe each of the " girly items" as he calls them, whilst I interrogated him.

I know he has a very good eye; his shop was totally divine and I was always truffling there. I have known him for years and I trust him to know good from bad!

The phone call went a little like this as he worked his way through the pile:-

" It`s a round flowery box with "Bon Marche" written on the side. It has a lid and three old hats covered in flowers inside. Do you want it?"

" Yes?

Well in that case there are more of those; do you want those as well?"

and

" There are a pile of dresses in silk all very heavy with beady stuff. Do you want them?"

And then.....

" There is some of that black toiley stuff - is it any good?"

and

" It`s a shoe box with Au Printemps Paris on the lid and inside are pale silk shoes with embroidery on the sides and the insides are purple silk"

"What are the heels like?" I asked.

" Sort of splayed at the top, thinner on the way down and splayed at the bottom"

" Yes !! yes!! yes!!" I shouted!

"Oh well......in that case there are boxes of soft kid shoes with the same shaped heels in their Paris boxes too"

And then..........

" There is also a box with tissue paper and what looks like a beaded swimming cap like a 1920s flapper thing all covered in pearls.Do you want it?"

And so the conversation went on.

He will be coming back up country in the next few days and I cannot wait to see what I have bought " blind".

My imagination is running wild to say the least. As soon as I receive my purchases I will photograph them for you.