The M. S. Rau Company

 

There is a company, M. S. Rau, that sells antiques, jewels, and fine art.  Mostly, the advertising I see from them are for amazing, antique furniture.  The prices for their furniture offerings are impressively high.  I loved many of the pieces they offer but know, short of winning a lottery jackpot, there was no chance I would ever acquire one.

I am not sure when I first saw their ads.  It may have been in the late 1970s but more likely in the 1980s or 1990s.  For sure, by the time I was commuting to NYC and reading The New Yorker, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal more regularly, I was seeing their very classy print advertisements.

M. S. Rau was founded in 1912 and has been family run since.  I just assumed they were located in New York no doubt because of where I saw their ads.  Today, upon going to their website for the first time ever (what took me so long), that they are based in New Orleans where they have a 40,000 square foot gallery with over 3,000 items in stock.  Third and fourth generation family members Bill and Rebecca Rau now run the company.

The item I saw this week, that prompted me to write this piece, was a billiard table.  It is not just a billiard table.  It is a circa 1870 French marquetry billiard table.  I had to look up marquetry to learn that it means inlaid decoration composed of small pieces of wood and other materials often multicolored and often used on furniture.  This gorgeous billiard table is a work of art.  It is breathtakingly beautiful and is offered for a cool $88,500.  With one click, I could have added it to my cart assuming that, one, I even wanted a billiard table and, two, I could or would ever spend that much money for one. 

I did wonder if it came with free shipping or if I could negotiate the price.

Before this billiard table, the most impressive item I saw offered by M. S. Rau was a partners desk which is a huge desk where two people could sit on opposite sides and work.  It was ornate, mahogany, with a top of inlaid leather.  If memory serves me well, I want to say it was in the neighborhood of

$250,000.  They do not currently have a partners desk listed.  In looking at their desk offerings, they have a circa 1840 Royal Italian writing desk and armchair.  It is listed fir $266,500.  I only imagine the kind of office I would need to house such a work of art.

Well, if I were to buy such a desk, I would need an appropriate work of art to adorn the room.  In browsing their fine art collection, I found a painting by Claude Monet, Nympheas.  The price for this piece is available upon request.

Also, for such a desk, I would have to have the proper pen to sign important documents, write in my journal, and writing personal notes and cards.  It would have to be a fountain pen.  M. S. Rau offers a Montblanc Autumn fountain pen which is part of the four seasons collection.  It only dates to 2008 and is made from “18K yellow gold case is dotted with diamonds within an intricate vine motif.”

Of course, I would need bookcases, a Tiffany floor lamp, and ornate clock all of which I could acquire at M. S. Rau.  The desk, painting, and pen seem like a nice grouping and a very impressive start to my fantasy office. 

If I am ever in New Orleans, I simply have to visit M. S. Rau.

 

 

All photos from M. S. Rau