A double-peaked hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte during his reign as French emperor has fetched a record price of 1.932 million euros (1.69 million pounds) at an auction in Paris.
The black bicorne felt hat was originally estimated at 600,000 to 800,000 euros. The price achieved exceeded the 1.884 million euros paid in 2014 for another Napoleon hat, also sold by the house of Drouotauction, a company spokesman said.
The hat is one of 20 of 120 the French military commander is believed to have owned during his lifetime.
The price achieved is believed to have been driven up by hype surrounding the release of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon biography starring Joaquin Phoenix.
One of the most recognizable brands in history, which has endured since his death more than 200 years ago, Napoleon wore the hat on his side to ensure he was recognizable on the battlefield.
The spikes or “corns” were placed parallel to his shoulders, a style referred to as “en bataille,” in contrast to most of his officers who wore their spikes at right angles to their shoulders.
Pierre Osenat of the Drouot auction house said the hat was identified by a “cockade” – a collection of ribbons of different colors that Napoleon himself reportedly added in 1815 as he traveled from his exile on Elba across the Mediterranean to Antibes. This led to a temporary return to power before he was finally defeated at Waterloo.
Most of the surviving Napoleonic bicorns are in museums and about five are in private collections, Osenat said.
The bicorn hat’s distinguished provenance is due to the fact that it remained in the same family throughout the 19th century, the descendants of quartermaster Jean-Louis Noisiez, who worked in Napoleon’s palace, Osenat said.
Osenat told French media before the auction: “This hat was recognizable to everyone. When they saw it in battle. They knew without a doubt that Napoleon was present. In private he carried it either on his head or in his hand and sometimes threw it on the ground. It was the emperor’s trademark.”
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A visitor looks at one of the distinctive wide black hats worn by Napoleon when he ruled France in the 19th century. Photo: Christophe Ena/APThe hat was the star piece at the sale of the collection of French industrialist Col Pierre Baillon, who died last year. It was auctioned along with a nightgown worn by the Emperor on the island of St. Helena, where he was exiled for the last time and where he died in 1821, a silver dinner plate taken from the Emperor’s carriage after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815 was stolen, and a mahogany vanity case containing a well-preserved sterling silver toothbrush, razors, scissors and other items he used, which fetched up to €60,000. Other auction items included firearms, swords and coins.
In 2014, a South Korean paid almost 1.9 million euros for a bicorn hat that Napoleon wore during the Battle of Marengo in 1800. The item was put up for sale by the Royal Family of Monaco along with hundreds of other artifacts.