Napoleon’s Hat Fetches $2.1 Million at French Auction.

Major historical figures often influence the art and culture of their time, and few have had as direct an influence as Napoleon Bonaparte. His invasion of Egypt in 1798, accompanied by scientists and scholars, inspired the 19th-century fascination with antiquity. After he was crowned Emperor in 1804, the furniture, fashion, and decorative arts of the time were called “Empire style.” Even after his death in exile in 1821, pictures and figurines continue to portray him and his first wife, Josephine.

Napoleon’s bicorne hat. Photo courtesy Osenat in Fontainebleau, France.

Napoleon is an easily recognizable figure, something he made sure of during his life. Bicorne hats were common military wear at the time, but while they were conventionally worn perpendicular to the shoulders (with the corners, or “cornes,” at the front and back), Napoleon famously wore his parallel to the shoulders. One of those famous bicorne hats recently sold at an auction of Napoleonic memorabilia by Osenat in Fontainebleau, France. The buyer, who remains anonymous, paid 1.9 million euros, or about $2.1 million. About twenty of Napoleon’s bicorne hats are known to exist, with most being in private collections.

Auctioned bicorne hat. Photo courtesy Osenat in Fontainebleau, France.

This sale comes at a time when Napoleon is once again in the public eye; a new movie about his life, Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix, recently opened. While the movie has received some criticism for historical inaccuracies, remember that Napoleon himself approved of stretching the truth for a more dramatic story. For example, one of the most famous images of him is the painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jaques-Louis David. At his own request, he is depicted as a majestic figure on a rearing horse. If the painting showed his campaign as it really happened, he would be seated on a mule, making for a much less dramatic image.

Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

Napoleon Figurine

Q: I’d like your help in identifying this porcelain figurine of Napoleon Bonaparte. It’s about 13 inches high and 12 inches long and is marked with two lines drawn through the letter “S.” It was left to me and I’m curious as to its age and value.

A: This figurine was made by a porcelain factory in Scheibe-Alsbach, Thuringia, Germany. The factory was owned by various owners beginning in 1835. This mark of a crossed out S was used from 1905 to 1972. The factory was called the Porzellanmanufaktur A.W.F. Kister G.m.b.H. (A.W.F. Kister Porcelain Factory) from 1905 to 1962. After it was put under state supervision in 1962 the name became Porzellanmanufaktur Kister K.G. Scheibe-Alsbach. The factory was nationalized in 1972, privatized in 1990, and closed in 1991. Meissen-style figurines were made at Scheibe-Alsbach beginning in 1894. Several were designed by Felix Zeh, who worked at the factory from 1888 to 1937, or are based on his designs. Napoleon was a popular subject. Small Napoleon figurines like your sell for about $200.

How Much Is a Key That Locked Up Napoleon Worth? 

How valuable is a rusty, 5-inch antique steel key, found in an old trunk in a house in Scotland? Well, if it was the key to the room where an imprisoned Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821, it would be worth slightly more than $112,000. That is how much it sold for at a Sotheby’s auction in Britain. The key was brought back to Britain by Charles Richard Fox, an army general and politician, who visited the island of Saint Helena while Napoleon was there. He is believed to have brought it as a gift for his mother who was a great admirer of Napoleon. The key was found by Fox’s descendants in a trunk in a house in Scotland.

Napoleon died on the remote island in the South Atlantic where Britain sent him after he escaped from Elba. The key came in an envelope labeled by Fox as “Key of the Room at St Helena, in which Napoleon died & which I got there out of the door in 1822…” He gives the exact date in an accompanying note as Sept. 6.