Two pistols once used by Napoleon Bonaparte to kill himself sold for 1.69 million euros ($1.8 million) in France on Sunday, the auction house said. The government insisted they remain in the country as national treasures.
The identity of the buyer of the fine items at the auction in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, was not made public, but the final sale price including fees exceeded the estimate of 1.2-1.5 million euros.
Before the weapons sale, the French Culture Ministry’s National Treasure Commission classified the items as national treasures and banned their export in a decision published in the government’s official journal on Saturday.
The issuance of an export restriction certificate opens a 30-month period during which the French government may make an offer of purchase to the unidentified new owner, who has the right to refuse.
Regardless of its value and age, cultural property qualifying as national heritage may only be taken out of France temporarily, with mandatory return.
“Being classified as a national treasure has given this item an incredible value,” a representative from the Osenat auction house said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The magnificently decorated cannons, studded with gold and silver, bear the engraved image of Napoleon in all his imperial grandeur.
It is said that they were almost used to end the life of the French ruler in 1814, when he was forced to abdicate after foreign forces defeated his army and captured Paris.
“After the defeat of the French campaign, he was completely depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these weapons, but his grandfather removed the powder,” auction house expert Jean-Pierre Osenat told AFP ahead of the sale.
Osenat reported that Napoleon took the poison but survived by vomiting and later gave the pistols to his retainer to thank him for his loyalty.
The emperor’s souvenirs are extremely popular among collectors.
His famous “bicorn” black hat, with blue, white and red decorations, sold for 1.9 million euros in November.
After his abdication, 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 ended definitively when the British were defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, and he died in exile on the island of Saint Helena six years later.
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