Dec 8, 2021: U.S. auctioneers announced Tuesday that Napoleon Bonaparte wore a sword during the uprising of 1799 and that five of his firearms sold at auction for about ً $2.9 million.
Kevin Hogan, president of the company, told AFP news agency that the lot, which was put up for sale by the Illinois-based Rock Island Auction Company, was sold by phone on December 3 to a buyer who remained anonymous. Initially, the price of a pistol with a sword and five jewels ranged from 1.5 million to 3.5 million.
With the $2.87 million sale, “the buyer of the Napoleon Garniture is taking home a very rare piece of history,” Hogan said. “We are pleased to have provided the opportunity for them to acquire such a historic object.”
According to auctioneers, the sword, with its scabbard, was the “crown jewel” of the collection. The weapon was developed by Nicholas Noel Boutet, director of the state armaments factory in Versailles. After the emperor’s coronation, Napoleon is thought to have offered the sword to General Jean-Endochet Jonot, but the general’s wife was later forced to sell it to pay off debts.
It was later recovered by a London museum. An American collector was the last owner, but according to the auction house, the man died recently.
In May, France celebrated the bicentennial of Napoleon’s death.
The famed Corsican is one of the most divisive figures in French history, his huge contribution to the creation of the modern state set against his imperialism and war-mongering.
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