By Jeffrey Schaffer and Thomas Adams
Paris (AP) Ahead of what experts refer to as one of the most significant Napoleonic auctions ever held, more than 100 artifacts that formed empires, crushed hearts, and inspired centuries of intrigue are on exhibit in Paris after Hollywood’s Napoleon introduced the fabled emperor to a new generation.
His military cap was tattered. One of his red velvet coat’s sleeves. Even the divorce documents that put an end to one of the most tumultuous romances in history with the empress who followed him around forever, Josephine.
Napoleon is still beloved and controversial in France two centuries after his demise, but he is also unavoidable. According to polls, some people decry his wars and dictatorial governance, while others applaud his vision and accomplishments. Most people concur that his legacy continues to influence the country.
These are not merely artifacts from museums. According to Louis-Xavier Joseph, head of European furniture at Sotheby’s, who assisted in putting the treasure trove together, these are pieces of a life that altered history. In your hands, you can actually hold a fragment of Napoleon’s world.
The auction is a biography in objects, with the goal of raising more than 7 million euros ($7.5 million). The focal point is Napoleon’s famous bicorne hat, a black felt chapeau with wings parallel to his shoulders that he wore during combat to help men and adversaries quickly identify him in the gunpowder cloud.
According to Joseph, when you place a bicorne on a table, people instantly think of Napoleon. It resembles Julius Caesar’s laurel crown.
At least half a million dollars is the projected selling price of the headgear.
The closeness of the auction is what gives it its real impact, despite the spectacle, swords, and the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honor. It contains Napoleon’s final will and testament, which was written by hand on Saint Helena while he was unwell and paranoid.
There is the painfully intimate: the dressing table made for the empress, the ecclesiastical marriage document that formally acknowledged their love, and the red portfolio that previously held his divorce decree from Josephine. The sadness and ambition of their alliance are reflected in her well-known mirror.
According to Joseph, Napoleon was an ardent lover, and his letters are brimming with passion, love, and fire. He was also a man who was conscious about his appearance. One of the first, perhaps, to be so mindful of his public and private image.
The timing of the auction is dramatic. For a TikTok age that is ravenous for tales of ambition, failure, and fatal romance, the 2023 biopic brought Napoleon’s myth back to life and made over $220 million globally.
The public can view the auction preview until June 24. The auction is scheduled for June 25.
Djamal Oussedik, 22, shrugged near the Arc de Triomphe monument honoring the general’s triumphs: For better or worse, everyone grows up with Napoleon. While some hold him in high regard, others hold him accountable for everything. But when you see his bed and his hat, you realize that he was more than just a myth.
Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t get away from him. According to 51-year-old instructor Laure Mallet, he’s part of being French.
Celebrity designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who is well-known for dressing Lady Gaga and Pope John Paul II, created the exhibition.
Castelbajac stated, “I wanted to electrify history.” This is a pop culture installation rather than a tomb. Collectors today purchase Napoleon artifacts in the same manner that they would purchase a Jimi Hendrix guitar. A cabinet of wonders is what they desire.
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He has infused the act with immersive spaces, hypnotic music, and fog. One draws inspiration from Fontainebleau’s camouflage colors. Napoleon’s fabled folding bed serves as the anchor for another. The designer claimed that the natural elements were complicit in Napoleon’s plan, which is why he created the fog in the Sotheby’s building entrance.
Castelbajac added a personal touch by claiming that his ancestor participated in Napoleon’s campaign in Russia. I used the original canvas to cover the emperor’s bed. You get the impression that he was facing everything he had created by himself. A spectral presence is present.
He even made something Napoleon could only imagine. Napoleon grinned and stated that he had always preferred a green flag over the blue, white, and red tricolore of the revolution. He never received one. I therefore created it for Sotheby’s.
This material was supplied by Alex Turnbull in Paris.
