(FILE) This photo shows a box containing two pistols belonging to Emperor Napoleon I on display during a preview before the auction in Paris on June 18, 2024. The “Empire of Fontainebleau” auction, organized by the Rossini and Ozena auction houses, will take place in Fontainebleau on July 7, 2024. (Photo by Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP)
July 7, 2024
The two pistols that Napoleon Bonaparte used to commit suicide were sold in France for 1.69 million euros ($1.7 million) on Sunday, an auction house said, as the government insists the guns remain in the country as national treasures.
The buyer, whose identity was not made public, sold the elaborately decorated artwork at auction in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, exceeding expectations of 1.2 million to 1.5 million euros, including fees.
Ahead of the arms sale, the French Culture Ministry’s National Treasures Committee declared the items national treasures and banned their export in a decision published in the Government Gazette on Saturday.
The issuance of the export ban certificate gives the French government a 30-month period during which it can make a purchase offer to the unidentified new owner, who will have the right to refuse.
Cultural properties designated as national treasures, regardless of their value or age, can only be taken out of France temporarily and are subject to compulsory return.
“Being designated a national treasure makes the piece incredibly valuable,” said a representative of the Oceana auction house, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The gun is richly decorated with gold and silver and features an engraved image of Napoleon in imperial majesty.
It is said that these bullets were nearly used to take the life of the King of France in 1814, when foreign troops defeated French troops and occupied Paris, forcing the King to relinquish power.
“After the defeat in the French campaign he was deeply depressed and tried to commit suicide with these weapons, but his valet removed the powder,” auction house expert Jean-Pierre Ozenat told AFP ahead of the sale.
Napoleon drank the poison, vomited it out and survived, and later gave his man a pistol as a thank you for his loyalty, Ozenat added.
Imperial memorabilia is highly sought after among collectors.
One of his famous “bicorne” black tricorne hats with blue, white and red trim was sold at auction in November for 1.9 million euros.
After abdicating, Napoleon went into exile on the island of Elba off the coast of Italy.
He soon returned to France in dramatic fashion, but his career was brought to an end by his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and he died in exile on the island of St. Helena six years later.
