Napoleon’s Hat Sells for $2.2 Million

Napoleon’s hat was estimated to sell for between €300,000 and €400,000 ($240,082 and $499,828)
Photo: Remy de la Mauviniere via Yahoo News

A South Korean collector bought one of Napoleon’s famous ‘bicorne’ hats at an auction near Paris for €1.9 million ($2.2 million), Art Daily reported. The hat sold for over five times the high estimate of €400,000.

According to the BBC, this particular beaver felt hat was worn by Napoleon during the Battle of Marengo in 1800. It is one of about 20 of Napoleon’s hats that still exist. Only two or three of them are thought to be in private hands.

The hat, which was part of a large collection of Napoleon paraphernalia consigned by the Grimaldi family, once belonged to Prince Louis II of Monaco, great-grandfather of the current ruler Prince Albert. He bought it from Napoleon’s veterinarian, Joseph Giraud.

Other highlights from the two-day sale at the French auction house Osenat, included a pair of Napoleon’s stockings, a scarf, and a shirt. The Grimaldi family decided to sell a part of its extensive collection, housed in Monte Carlo’s Napoleon Museum, in order to finance different museum projects.

Thierry Lentz of the Napoleon Foundation told Art Daily “It’s a very well known collection. The provenance of the pieces is incontestable.”

Napoleon crowned himself as emperor in 1804. He conquered large parts of Europe before his final defeat in 1815.