A hat worn by Napoleon sold for $2.1 million at an auction of the French emperor’s belongings
By The Associated Press on November 19, 2023.
PARIS (AP) – A faded and cracked felt bicorne hat worn by Napoléon Bonaparte sold for $2.1 million at an auction Sunday of the French emperor’s belongings. Yes, $2.1 million. The signature broad, black hat – one of a handful still in existence that Napoléon wore when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe – was initially valued at 600,000 to 800,000 euros ($650,000-870,000). It was the centerpiece of Sunday’s auction in Fontainebleau of memorabilia collected by a French industrialist who died last year. But the bidding quickly jumped higher and higher until Jean Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat auction house, designated the winner. “˜’We are at 1.5 million (euros) for Napoleon’s hat … for this major symbol of the Napoleonic epoch,” he said, as applause rang out in the auction hall. The buyer, whose identity was not released, must pay 28.8% in commissions according to Osenat, bringing the overall cost to 1.9 million euros ($2.1 million). While other officers customarily wore their bicorne hats with the wings facing front to back, Napoleon wore his with the ends pointing toward his shoulders. The style – known as “en bataille,” or in battle – made it easier for his troops to spot their leader in combat. The hat on sale was first recovered by Col. Pierre Baillon, a quartermaster under Napoléon, according to the auctioneers. The hat then passed through many hands before industrialist Jean-Louis Noisiez acquired it. The entrepreneur spent more than a half-century assembling his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords and coins before his death in 2022. The sale came days before the release of Ridley Scott’s film “˜’Napoleon” with Joaquin Phoenix, which is rekindling interest in the controversial French ruler. 10-9
