Two pistols owned by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, which he once intended to use to end his life, have sold at auction for €1.69 million. The sale took place at the French auction house Osenat in Fontainebleau, near Paris. Initially, the pistols were expected to fetch between €1.2 million and €1.5 million.
The pistols, recently classified as national treasures by France's culture ministry, cannot be exported. This classification gives the French government 30 months to make a purchase offer to the new anonymous owner, who has the right to refuse.
Napoleon allegedly planned to use the pistols on the night of April 12, 1814, after his army's defeat by foreign forces. However, his grand squire, Armand de Caulaincourt, removed the gunpowder from the pistols. Napoleon then attempted to use poison but survived, eventually abdicating and being exiled to the island of Elba off the Italian coast.
Napoleon gifted the pistols to Caulaincourt, who passed them down through his descendants. Expert Jean-Pierre Osenat noted, "The emperor offered the two pistols with a sword to Caulaincourt as a memento of his loyalty in those dark days. They have since remained in his family, who decided to part with them."
The pistols are richly decorated, featuring an engraved image of Napoleon in full imperial regalia. They were sold in a Burr walnut box with ebony inlay, alongside accessories such as a powder horn and powder tamping rods. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat remarked that the "image of Napoleon at his lowest point" was being sold with the objects.
Napoleon memorabilia is highly sought after among collectors. For instance, one of his famous black bicorne hats sold for €1.9 million in November.
Source: Euronews
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