Napoleon’s famous two-pointed hat sold for €1,9 million ($2,38 million) at auction in Fontainebleau, near Paris. Anonymous South Korean bidder paid this huge amount for the black felted beaver fur “bicorne”, which Napoleon Bonaparte wore during Battle of Marengo in 1800. Auctioneers Osenet had originally put a reserve price on the headwear of just under half-a-million pounds. Napoleon was famous for his hats. He wore around 120 during his life, including one at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when he was famously defeated by a British-led army under the Duke of Wellington.
‘It is said that there are about 20 of his original hats in the world today and most of them are in museums and can’t be sold. Maybe there are just two or three in private hands. This collectible piece that was recently sold at auction was one of them. It was acquired by Joseph Giraud, a vet in Napoleon’s household, and remained in his family until 1926 when it was sold to Prince Louis’ collection.
The hat went under the hammer along with some 1,000 pieces of Napoleon memorabilia that belonged to Prince Louis II of Monaco (1870-1949), the great-grandfather of current monarch Prince Albert. This auction achieved in a total of €10 million euros, including fees.
