One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature hats will be auctioned on Sunday along with other personal items in Fontainebleau near Paris and is expected to fetch more than half a million euros.
Issued on: November 19, 2023 – 11:16 a.m
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One of the signature wide black bicorn hats worn by Napoleon Bonaparte when he ruled France and waged war in Europe in the 19th century is expected to fetch more than 600,000 euros ($650,000) at auction on Sunday.
Other historic items in the sale of industrialist Jean-Louis Noisiez’s collection of Napoleonic memorabilia include a silver plate stolen from Napoleon’s carriage following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. This also includes a wooden makeup case he owned containing razors, a silver toothbrush, scissors and other personal items.
The faded black felt hat is the star piece, valued at between 600,000 and 800,000 euros ($650,000 to $870,000).
While other officers typically wore their hats with the wings facing forward, Napoleon wore his hat with the ends pointing toward his shoulders. This style – called “en bataille” (in battle) in French – made it easier for his troops to recognize the military general and statesman in battle.
“For people interested in Napoleonic souvenirs, having a hat is the holy grail,” said Jean-Pierre Osenat, head of the Osenat auction house. “There are about 20 examples left that are authentic, and about 15 of them are kept in museums, so there are about four or five in collectors’ hands.”
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According to the auctioneers, the hat for sale was first recovered by Colonel Pierre Baillon, a quartermaster under Napoleon and one of his comrades-in-arms in many battles, including Waterloo. The hat then passed through many hands before Noisiez acquired it. The entrepreneur spent more than half a century assembling his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords and coins before he died in 2022.
An engraving on the round silver plate, valued at 20,000 to 30,000 euros (US$22,000 to 32,500), says it came from Napoleon’s carriage at Waterloo. According to the auctioneers, it was part of a haul of 180 kilograms of silverware looted during the French retreat and divided among the soldiers of the winning side.
The mahogany cosmetic case with Napoleon’s imperial coat of arms contains tools he would have needed to maintain his image during the election campaign, including a mirror, combs, tweezers, a shaving brush and other items. The estimated selling price is 40,000 to 60,000 euros (43,500 to 65,000 US dollars).
(AP)