Napoleon gave the pistols to his squire to thank him for his loyalty
Paris, France:
Two pistols that Napoleon Bonaparte once planned to use to kill himself sold in France on Sunday for 1.69 million euros ($1.8 million), the auction house said, with the government insisting they be kept as national treasures. stay in the country.
The identity of the buyer at the auction in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, of the ornate objects was not made public, but the final sale price, including fees, was above estimates of 1.2 to 1.5 million euros.
Before the sale of the weapons, the French culture ministry’s committee for national treasures had classified the items as national treasures and banned their export, in a decision published in the government’s official gazette on Saturday.
The issuance of the export ban certificate opens a thirty-month period during which the French government can make an offer of purchase to the unknown new owner, who has the right to refuse.
Whatever its value and age, a cultural object classified as a national treasure can only leave France temporarily, with mandatory return.
“The fact that it is classified as a national treasure gives the object incredible value,” said a representative of Osenat auction house, who asked not to be named.
The richly decorated cannons, inlaid with gold and silver, feature the engraved image of Napoleon in full imperial splendor.
They were said to have almost been used to end the French ruler’s life in 1814, when he was forced to give up power after foreign forces defeated his army and occupied Paris.
“After the defeat of the French campaign, he was totally depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these weapons, but his great squire removed the powder,” auction house expert Jean-Pierre Osenat told AFP ahead of the sale.
Napoleon took poison instead but vomited and survived, later giving the pistols to his squire to thank him for his loyalty, Osenat added.
Memorabilia of the emperor is highly sought after by collectors.
One of his famous ‘bicorne’ black cocked hats with blue, white and red trimmings was sold for 1.9 million euros in November.
After his abdication, Napoleon went into exile on the island of Elba off the coast of Italy.
He would soon make a dramatic return to France, but his career finally ended when he was defeated by the British at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and died in exile on the island of St Helena six years later.
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