Napoleon’s hat was sold for a record amount – photo – Curiosities – tsn.ua

On Sunday, November 19, one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous hats was sold at auction for a record nearly two million euros. The identity or nationality of the buyer has not been disclosed.

About it reports France24 with reference to the French auction house Osenat.

What is known about this Napoleon hat?

According to the auction house, Napoleon wore this particular hat from the middle of his imperial period, which lasted from 1808 to 1815.

The hat, known as a bicorne hat, is made in Napoleon’s signature colors – black with a blue, white and red cockade (the tricolor of the French flag).

It is known that this headdress was made by Pierre-Quentin-Joseph Bayon, who was the emperor’s tanner since 1806. According to experts, Napoleon added a cockade to it upon his return from exile on the island of Elba on March 1, 1815.

The hat remained in Napoleon’s family until the late 19th century, when it was first sold to collectors. He last exhibited at the Musee de l’Emperi in Salon-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône) between 1967 and 2002. It was part of the collection of French businessman Jean-Louis Noisier, who died in 2022.

What was the record price?

The sale attracted collectors from all over the world and generated great interest, exceeding the hopes of the auction organizers.

The hat, which was previously estimated at between 600 and 800 thousand euros, was sold for 1.932 million euros ($2.1 million), breaking the previous record. In 2014, the same auction house sold a Napoleonic hat for 1.884 million euros.

It is believed that Napoleon owned about 120 of these hats, most of which are now lost.

Why is the hat an attribute of Napoleon

Unlike most other men of his time, Napoleon wore his hat on one side, giving him a distinctive silhouette that made him easily recognizable to troops in battle.

Napoleon rose to prominence during the French Revolution, becoming a key figure in the revolutionary wars. He served the Republic as first consul and was crowned emperor in 1804.

After defeat in the battle against British and Prussian forces at Waterloo, he was exiled to St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, where he died in 1821.

Let us remind you that a unique dinner menu was recently sold at auction, which was served in the first class of the Titanic three days before the crash, during which it sank after colliding with an iceberg.

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