Christmas Specials | The future of the past

Out with the old

Why the bottom has dropped out of the antiques market

|PARIS

A MINUTE’S walk from the Louvre museum, just a hop across the Rue de Rivoli, is an antiques centre called the Louvre des Antiquaires. Until recently hundreds of dealers had galleries here, selling Louis XVI chairs, Renaissance jewels and other delightful old objects to customers keen to own a piece of history. Today only about half a dozen shops remain open. The building’s owner plans to turn the space into a high-end fashion store.

This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “Out with the old”

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