Colin Peter Field © All rights reserved, Benjamin Rosenburg 

Paris –  Christie’s Paris is honoured to present the personal collection of Colin Peter Field, the former chief bartender of the renowned Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris. The sale will be part of the yearly Collections Sale in Paris and will open for bidding on February 29th through March 13th, with attractive estimates. 

For nearly 30 years, the 34 seat, Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris has been an intimate spot for Parisians and hotel guests in search of a perfect drink prepared by Colin Field, who has been regarded twice as the "World's Best Head Barman”. 

As a key contributor to the bar's esteemed reputation, over the course of three decades Mr. Field adorned walls with carefully curated objects and Hemingway-themed memorabilia. Offered in the sale is a selection of tools and possessions treasured by the former barman, including three uniquely shaped cocktail shakers – one round and egg-shaped, a champagne cork box, 6 Puiforcat glasses engraved “Colin Field and Hemingway Bar”, and a very rare copy of "The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris" by Colin Peter Field. 

The Ritz Bar was one of Ernest Hemingway famously favorite places; the auction offers a glimpse into the diverse facets of the writer through Mr. Field’s eyes. The sale includes a stag head, a buffalo head, or a pair of boxing gloves signed by the contemporary artist Adel Abdessemed, commemorating significant fights. Fishing enthusiasts will find delight in framed fishing flies including two that belonged to Jack Hemingway, the writer's son and rods. 

A series of 4 antique typewriters are also included in the sale, as a nod to Hemingway. Mr. Field used to invite regulars of the bar to write letters, which they could leave on for other guests or be sent from the Ritz Paris. Two typewriters were a gift from the longstanding friend and former client, supermodel Kate Moss.  

Last but not least, among the historical pieces in the collection is an aircraft propeller from a Gypsy Moth, built in France in 1916 before flying to the English coast, which belonged to Colin Field's father, then a pilot with the Royal Air Force. On display in the Hemingway Bar, the propeller evoked the two plane crashes of Hemingway and his wife in Africa in 1954.