The sword worn by Napoleon Bonaparte during his coup d'état in 1799 and five firearms that belonged to the French emperor who died 200 years ago have been auctioned in the United States for more than 2.8 million dollars, a specialized company announced Tuesday, December 7.
The lot was sold on December 3 by the Rock Island Auction Company in Illinois to an anonymous telephone buyer, auction company chairman Kevin Hogan told AFP.
The lot had been estimated between 1.5 and 3.5 million dollars.
At precisely $ 2.87 million,
"the buyer of Napoleon's equipment brings home a very rare historic piece
,
" said
Kevin Hogan.
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The sword, accompanied by its scabbard, the centerpiece of the collection, leaves the Versailles workshops of the gunsmith Nicolas-Noël Boutet and was
"carried by Napoleon Bonaparte during the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire 1799"
(November 9, 1799 ), according to Rock Island Auction Company, which claims to be
"the world's number one auctioneer of collectible firearms, bladed weapons and military equipment
.
"
Crowned Emperor on December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte offered his sword to General Jean-Andoche Junot.
When he died, the weapon had found its way to a museum in London and then to an American collector.
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The auction house recalled that in 2007,
“the saber carried by
(the First Consul Bonaparte)
at the battle of Marengo
(against Austrian troops in June 1800 in Piedmont in Italy)
had been auctioned for 6, $ 5 million ”
.
France celebrated in the spring the bicentenary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte on May 5, 1821, President Emmanuel Macron painting a “chiaroscuro” portrait of this central figure in the history of France and Europe.
