Current:Home > Contact-usNapoleon's bicorne hat sold at auction for a history-making price-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Napoleon's bicorne hat sold at auction for a history-making price
View Date:2024-12-23 22:35:58
Napoleon Bonaparte's iconic hat sold at auction Sunday, fetching a history-making $2.1 million. While French auction house Osenat expected the hat to go for up to $875,328, it far surpassed that amount – and the previous record holder, a Napoleon hat sold at the same auction house for about $2 million in 2014, according to AFP.
Napoleon was a French general who was key to the French Revolution and then overthrew the French government, and ultimately becoming the emperor of France. The felt hat with its emblem the colors of the French flag – red, white and blue – dates back to the 1800s, according to Osenat.
His hat was later owned by Colonel Pierre Baillon, a military officer, who kept it in his family until the 19th century when his grandson sold it. Antiques dealer Charles Meyer sold the hat to Jean Brunon in 1928 and it was passed down in his family.
"Our hat was used by Emperor Napoleon I in the middle of the Empire during the period when Baillon was assigned to the Emperor's Palace (1806-1815)," the description on the Osenat website reads. Napoleon wore the hat as he returned from the island of Elba in 1815. Napoleon, who was exiled to the island in 1814, escaped and returned to France a year later, becoming emperor again.
Napoleon was known for wearing hats like this – often cocked to the side, according to BBC News.
In a video about the hat ahead of the sale, auctioneer Jean Pierre Osenat said Napoleon owned about 120, but only about 16 remain, mainly in private collections.
Pierre said this particular hat "had been through many events" and symbolized Napoleon's "history of 15 years that revolutionized France and changed the world."
He said the image of Napoleon wearing this type of hat – sideways, unlike everyone else – is "the image we have in mind when we think about Napoleon's world."
CBS News has reached out to Osenat for further information and is awaiting response.
Caitlin O'KaneCaitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say
- Daisy Ridley recalls 'grieving' after 'Rise of Skywalker': 'A lot that I hadn't processed'
- Memphis officials release hours of more video in fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols
- As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
- Maine governor says that despite challenges the ‘state is getting stronger every day’
- Maine governor says that despite challenges the ‘state is getting stronger every day’
- Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner returns home to Italy amid great fanfare
- Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
- Candace Cameron Bure's Son Lev Is Married
Ranking
- Diddy's ex-bodyguard sues rape accuser for defamation over claims of 2001 assault
- Water content of California’s snowpack is well below normal, but a new round of storms approaches
- 4 dead, including Florida man suspected of shooting and wounding 2 police officers
- NFL says Super Bowl viewers will only see 3 sports betting ads during broadcast of the game
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- Kiley Reid's 'Come and Get It' is like a juicy reality show already in progress
- Hunter Biden’s lawyers press for dismissal of gun charges by arguing they are politically motivated
- Why This Juilliard Pianist Now Eats Sticks of Butter With Her Meals as Carnivore TikToker
Recommendation
-
Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe
-
Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson mourns death of wife Melinda Ledbetter: 'She was my savior'
-
Justice Department investigating Democratic Rep. Cori Bush over alleged misuse of campaign funds
-
Attention #BookTok: Sarah J. Maas Just Spilled Major Secrets About the Crescent City Series
-
Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
-
Where do the parties stand on efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages?
-
Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia’s 17th king under rotating monarchy system
-
Our E! Shopping Editors Share Favorite Lululemon Picks of the Month— $39 Leggings, $29 Tanks, and More