Hat Worn By Napoleon Fetches Record Amount
A hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous black bicorne with its red, white, and blue cockade, was sold at an auction on Sunday, November 19, in Paris, for a record amount.
The hat was auctioned for USD 2.1 million (taxes included) surpassing the estimates by the French auction house Osenat by a large margin.
The identity or nationality of the buyer has not been disclosed.
Hat Worn By Napoleon (Source: Video Capture)
The black bicorne beaver felt hat with its embroidered tricolor ‘cockade’ – which Napoleon reportedly added himself in 1815 - was initially estimated at $650,000-870,000.
Jean Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat auction house told French media before the auction: “This hat was discernible by everyone. When they saw it in battle, they knew without a doubt that Napoleon was present.
“In private, he’d either have it on his head or in his hand, sometimes throwing it on the ground. It was the emperor’s hallmark.”
Record Amount For Napoleon's Hat
The famous hat was the centerpiece of Sunday's auction.
It attracted collectors from around the world and generated great enthusiasm, according to the auction house.
The auction took place a few days before the release of a big-budget biographical film dedicated to Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix.
This hat was worn by Napoleon (1769-1821) when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe. Napoleon is believed to have worn around 120 such hats, meaning occasionally some appear at auctions.
Pierre Osenat said that this particular hat auctioned on Sunday was distinguishable by a “cockade” – a cluster of ribbons of distinctive colors that Napoleon added himself when he was traveling across the Mediterranean to Antibes from his exile in Elba, leading to a temporary return to power before his eventual defeat at Waterloo.
"The hat alone represents the image of the emperor," said auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in October.
The price reached on Sunday surpassed the USD 2 million paid for another of Napoleon’s hats in 2014, also sold by the Drouot auction house, a spokesperson for the company said.
The hat was auctioned for USD 2.1 million (taxes included) surpassing the estimates by the French auction house Osenat by a large margin.
The identity or nationality of the buyer has not been disclosed.
Hat Worn By Napoleon (Source: Video Capture)
The black bicorne beaver felt hat with its embroidered tricolor ‘cockade’ – which Napoleon reportedly added himself in 1815 - was initially estimated at $650,000-870,000.
Jean Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat auction house told French media before the auction: “This hat was discernible by everyone. When they saw it in battle, they knew without a doubt that Napoleon was present.
“In private, he’d either have it on his head or in his hand, sometimes throwing it on the ground. It was the emperor’s hallmark.”
Record Amount For Napoleon's Hat
The famous hat was the centerpiece of Sunday's auction.
It attracted collectors from around the world and generated great enthusiasm, according to the auction house.
The auction took place a few days before the release of a big-budget biographical film dedicated to Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix.
This hat was worn by Napoleon (1769-1821) when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe. Napoleon is believed to have worn around 120 such hats, meaning occasionally some appear at auctions.
Pierre Osenat said that this particular hat auctioned on Sunday was distinguishable by a “cockade” – a cluster of ribbons of distinctive colors that Napoleon added himself when he was traveling across the Mediterranean to Antibes from his exile in Elba, leading to a temporary return to power before his eventual defeat at Waterloo.
"The hat alone represents the image of the emperor," said auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in October.
The price reached on Sunday surpassed the USD 2 million paid for another of Napoleon’s hats in 2014, also sold by the Drouot auction house, a spokesperson for the company said.
Purchased by a South Korean businessman, the hat came from the princely family collection of Monaco. In 2018, a hat believed by the auction house De Baecque et Associes to have been worn during the Battle of Waterloo was sold for 383,000 USD in Lyon.
The bicorne sold on Sunday was part of the collection of Jean-Louis Noisiez, founder of the French GSF cleaning, hygiene, and related services group, who passed away in 2022.
The hat was manufactured by Pierre-Quentin-Joseph Baillon, the emperor's furrier from 1806.
The hat remained in the family until the end of the 19th century when it was sold to various collectors. It was displayed at the Musee de l'Emperi in the commune of Salon-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhone department) between 1967 and 2002
Most of the remaining Napoleonic bicornes still in existence are held in museums, and about five are in private collections.
