Napoleon’s hat was sold at auction for 1.9 million euros
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat was sold at auction in Paris. Its price was 1.9 million euros.
It is a black two-horned hat made of beaver fur, reports The Guardian. It is one of the 20 headdresses of the emperor that have survived to this day.
The Drouot auction house estimated the hat at 600-800 thousand euros. However, the price reached 1.932 million euros, surpassing the previous record of another Napoleonic headdress, which sold for 1.884 million.
The French emperor wore his hats sideways to be visible on the battlefield. Their points were placed parallel to Napoleon’s shoulders.
| Napoleon’s hat sold at auction. Photo: DIMITAR DILKOFF/Getty Images |
The sold hat differs from others by a cockade – a uniform sign. According to Pierre Osenat of the Drouot auction house, Napoleon added them with his own hand in 1818, when he traveled across the Mediterranean to the city of Antibes from his exile on the island of Elba.
“In private life, he wore it either on his head or in his hand, sometimes throwing it on the ground. It was the emperor’s business card.” – Osenat said before the auction.
Throughout the 19th century, the hat remained in the possession of one family – the descendants of the French official Jean-Louis Noisier. In recent years, it was part of the collection of industrialist Pierre Bayon, who died last year.
There are a total of 5 Napoleon hats in private collections, all others are museum exhibits.
We will remind you that earlier we wrote that the guitar that Kurt Cobain played during Nirvana’s last tour was sold at auction.
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