December 07, 2004

Real Estate a la Balzac

I came across the following description of a rural auction in France of a property sold after the debtor had defaulted on his mortgage and thought it marvelous:

The auction itself might be a scene taken from one of Balzac's novels: three candles sit upon the notaire's table. The first is lit as the black-gowned barristers place the opening bids. The property is declared sold when the three candles, each one burning for a minute, have been lit in succession without another bid being made.

Isn't that a great image?

Posted by Random Penseur at December 7, 2004 07:17 AM
Comments

Yes, it's charming. What an intricate and ceremonial method. Is this a current event???

Posted by: Mick at December 7, 2004 11:38 AM

Yup, very current. I found it in an article on buying rural property on the cheap in France in a British newspaper.

Posted by: rp at December 7, 2004 11:56 AM
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