Sotheby’s is selling what it’s calling “one of the most significant offerings of Napoleonic material ever to come to market” on June 25 in Paris.
Around 100 lots from the private collection of prominent French antiques collector Pierre-Jean Chalençon will hit the auction block. They span imperial furniture, Old Master paintings, and “deeply personal relics that reflect the inner world of [Napoleon Bonaparte],” Sotheby’s said in a statement.
“Echoing Napoleon’s words—‘What a novel my life!’—this collection reads like a vivid historical epic, unfolding across battlefields and boudoirs, ceremonial halls, and intimate chambers, alternating a chronicle of power, politics, and pageantry, to the vulnerabilities, ambitions and contradictions of the man behind the myth,” the house said.
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The standout lots include one of Napoleon’s iconic bicorne hats. Unlike other French army officers who wore their bicornes front to back, the general famously sported en bataille (with the wings parallel to his shoulder). It has a high estimate of €800,000.
“This bicorne, crafted by Poupard, Napoleon’s official hatmaker, was personally gifted by the Emperor to General Mouton, one of his most trusted and courageous commanders,” the house said. “Following General Mouton’s decisive role in the Battle of Essling in May 1809, Napoleon reportedly praised him with the words: ‘My mouton is a lion.’”
A herald sword and stick used during Napoleon’s 1804 coronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris with a high estimate of €400,000 will also be sold. So too will his personal gold and ebony seal (high estimate: €250,000). And for anyone who wants to get even more personal with the French general, Sotheby’s is also selling his worn stockings and portable camp bed.
“Napoleon has acquired rockstar status. As one of the most famous people in the world, his life and achievements continue to capture the imagination of so many, including leading film directors,” Marine de Cenival, head of sale, silver, at Sotheby’s Paris, told ARTnews.
“Hugely passionate about Napoleon, Pierre-Jean Chalençon purchased his first item when he was just 18 years of age, and over the next four decades he assembled a tremendous collection spanning Napoleon’s entire life,” de Cenival continued. “As a result, this is a very complete collection and all the material comes to auction with provenances that you can only dream of: Napoleon, Joséphine, Marie-Louise, the Imperial family, and so on. Its appearance now, at a time when interest in Napoleon is at fever pitch, provides a wonderful opportunity for collectors to acquire their very own piece of French history.”
Chalençon, whom the Times described as “France’s most famous antiques collector,” is reportedly being forced to sell the Parisian mansion he transformed into a shrine to Napoleon to pay off a €10 million loan. He purchased the Palais Vivienne in 2015 for €6 million and wasted no time in decking it out with his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, which is allegedly 1,000 pieces strong. It includes Napoleon’s coronation ring, which has a 5.33 carat ruby. Chalençon has described himself as “Napoleon’s press officer.”
In March, the Times wrote that he is struggling to pay off a €10 million loan that he took out from Swiss Life Banque Privée to finance his purchases. However, he told Le Parisien: “I am not riddled with debts. I am doing well.”
The collection will be shown at Sotheby’s Hong Kong from May 23 to 27, and at Sotheby’s New York from June 5 to 11 before the auction in Paris later in the month.