Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, personal treasures expected to fetch millions in Paris
After Hollywood's Napoleon exposed the legendary emperor to a new generation, over 100 relics — which shaped empires, broke hearts and spawned centuries of fascination — are on display in Paris ahead of what experts call one of the most important Napoleonic auctions ever staged.
His battered military hat. A sleeve from his red velvet coat. Even the divorce papers that ended one of history's most tormented romances — with Josephine, the empress who haunted him to the end.
Two centuries after his downfall, Napoleon remains both revered and controversial in France — but above all, unavoidable. Polls have shown that many admire his vision and achievements, while others condemn his wars and authoritarian rule. Nearly all agree his legacy still shapes the nation.
'These are not just museum pieces. They're fragments of a life that changed history,' said Louis-Xavier Joseph, Sotheby's head of European furniture, who helped assemble the trove. 'You can literally hold a piece of Napoleon's world in your hand.'
From battlefields to boudoirs
ADVERTISEMENT
Busts are on display in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house in Paris. (Source: Associated Press)
The auction — aiming to make in excess of 7 million euros (NZ$13.4 million) — is a biography in objects. The centrepiece is Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, the black felt chapeau he wore in battle — with wings parallel to his shoulders — so soldiers and enemies could spot him instantly through the gunpowder haze.
'Put a bicorne on a table, and people think of Napoleon immediately,' Joseph said. 'It's like the laurel crown of Julius Caesar.'
The hat is estimated to sell for at least over half a million dollars.
For all the pageantry — throne, swords, the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour — the auction's true power comes from its intimacy. It includes the handwritten codicil of Napoleon's final will, composed in paranoia and illness on Saint Helena.
There is the heartbreakingly personal: the red portfolio that once contained his divorce decree from Josephine, the religious marriage certificate that formalized their love and a dressing table designed for the empress. Her famed mirror reflects the ambition and tragedy of their alliance.
'Napoleon was a great lover; his letters that he wrote are full of fervour, of love, of passion,' Joseph said. 'It was also a man who paid attention to his image. Maybe one of the first to be so careful of his image, both public and private.'
ADVERTISEMENT
A new generation of exposure
The auction's timing is cinematic. The 2023 biopic grossed over US$220 million (NZ$366.5 million) worldwide and reanimated Napoleon's myth for a TikTok generation hungry for stories of ambition, downfall and doomed romance.
The auction preview is open to the public, running through June 24, with the auction set for June 25.
Not far from the Arc de Triomphe monument dedicated to the general's victories, Djamal Oussedik, 22, shrugged: 'Everyone grows up with Napoleon, for better or worse. Some people admire him, others blame him for everything. But to see his hat and his bed, you remember he was a real man, not just a legend.'
'You can't escape him, even if you wanted to. He's part of being French," said teacher Laure Mallet, 51.
History as spectacle
A woman walks past a throne in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house. (Source: Associated Press)
ADVERTISEMENT
The exhibition is a spectacle crafted by celebrity designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, famed for dressing Lady Gaga and Pope John Paul II.
'I wanted to electrify history,' Castelbajac said. 'This isn't a mausoleum, it's a pop culture installation. Today's collectors buy a Napoleon artefact the way they'd buy a guitar from Jimi Hendrix. They want a cabinet of curiosities.'
He's filled the show with fog, hypnotic music and immersive rooms. One is inspired by the camouflage colours of Fontainebleau. Another is anchored by Napoleon's legendary folding bed. 'I create the fog in the entrance of the Sotheby's building because the elements of nature were an accomplice to Napoleon's strategy,' the designer said.
Castelbajac, who said his ancestor fought in Napoleon's Russian campaign, brought a personal touch. 'I covered the emperor's bed in original canvas. You can feel he was just alone, facing all he had built. There's a ghostly presence."
He even created something Napoleon only dreamed of. 'Napoleon always wanted a green flag instead of the blue, white, red tricolore of the revolution," he said, smiling. "He never got one. So I made it for Sotheby's.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
18 hours ago
- 1News
Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, personal treasures expected to fetch millions in Paris
After Hollywood's Napoleon exposed the legendary emperor to a new generation, over 100 relics — which shaped empires, broke hearts and spawned centuries of fascination — are on display in Paris ahead of what experts call one of the most important Napoleonic auctions ever staged. His battered military hat. A sleeve from his red velvet coat. Even the divorce papers that ended one of history's most tormented romances — with Josephine, the empress who haunted him to the end. Two centuries after his downfall, Napoleon remains both revered and controversial in France — but above all, unavoidable. Polls have shown that many admire his vision and achievements, while others condemn his wars and authoritarian rule. Nearly all agree his legacy still shapes the nation. 'These are not just museum pieces. They're fragments of a life that changed history,' said Louis-Xavier Joseph, Sotheby's head of European furniture, who helped assemble the trove. 'You can literally hold a piece of Napoleon's world in your hand.' From battlefields to boudoirs ADVERTISEMENT Busts are on display in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house in Paris. (Source: Associated Press) The auction — aiming to make in excess of 7 million euros (NZ$13.4 million) — is a biography in objects. The centrepiece is Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, the black felt chapeau he wore in battle — with wings parallel to his shoulders — so soldiers and enemies could spot him instantly through the gunpowder haze. 'Put a bicorne on a table, and people think of Napoleon immediately,' Joseph said. 'It's like the laurel crown of Julius Caesar.' The hat is estimated to sell for at least over half a million dollars. For all the pageantry — throne, swords, the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour — the auction's true power comes from its intimacy. It includes the handwritten codicil of Napoleon's final will, composed in paranoia and illness on Saint Helena. There is the heartbreakingly personal: the red portfolio that once contained his divorce decree from Josephine, the religious marriage certificate that formalized their love and a dressing table designed for the empress. Her famed mirror reflects the ambition and tragedy of their alliance. 'Napoleon was a great lover; his letters that he wrote are full of fervour, of love, of passion,' Joseph said. 'It was also a man who paid attention to his image. Maybe one of the first to be so careful of his image, both public and private.' ADVERTISEMENT A new generation of exposure The auction's timing is cinematic. The 2023 biopic grossed over US$220 million (NZ$366.5 million) worldwide and reanimated Napoleon's myth for a TikTok generation hungry for stories of ambition, downfall and doomed romance. The auction preview is open to the public, running through June 24, with the auction set for June 25. Not far from the Arc de Triomphe monument dedicated to the general's victories, Djamal Oussedik, 22, shrugged: 'Everyone grows up with Napoleon, for better or worse. Some people admire him, others blame him for everything. But to see his hat and his bed, you remember he was a real man, not just a legend.' 'You can't escape him, even if you wanted to. He's part of being French," said teacher Laure Mallet, 51. History as spectacle A woman walks past a throne in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house. (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT The exhibition is a spectacle crafted by celebrity designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, famed for dressing Lady Gaga and Pope John Paul II. 'I wanted to electrify history,' Castelbajac said. 'This isn't a mausoleum, it's a pop culture installation. Today's collectors buy a Napoleon artefact the way they'd buy a guitar from Jimi Hendrix. They want a cabinet of curiosities.' He's filled the show with fog, hypnotic music and immersive rooms. One is inspired by the camouflage colours of Fontainebleau. Another is anchored by Napoleon's legendary folding bed. 'I create the fog in the entrance of the Sotheby's building because the elements of nature were an accomplice to Napoleon's strategy,' the designer said. Castelbajac, who said his ancestor fought in Napoleon's Russian campaign, brought a personal touch. 'I covered the emperor's bed in original canvas. You can feel he was just alone, facing all he had built. There's a ghostly presence." He even created something Napoleon only dreamed of. 'Napoleon always wanted a green flag instead of the blue, white, red tricolore of the revolution," he said, smiling. "He never got one. So I made it for Sotheby's.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
NZ Youth Choir Heading To European Choir Games In Denmark
Tour marks the last for director David Squire – 'It's been my great honour' The world's longest running national youth choir, NZ Youth Choir (NZYC), is getting ready for its 14th international tour: to Singapore and Europe. The traditional 'farewell' concert will take place at Auckland's Holy Trinity Cathedral, Friday 27th June, with tickets selling fast. The following day, NZYC will head to Singapore for concerts before flying to Europe to compete in the 6th European Choir Games and Grand Prix of Nations in Aarhus, Denmark. The choir will then return to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales where they previously won ' Choir of the World ' in 1999. This is the New Zealand Youth Choir's first European tour since before COVID-19. The choir gathers New Zealand's finest young voices aged 18–25 and offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from our top conductor and vocal coaches, with the three-year membership culminating in an international tour. Director David Squire will end his time with the choir at the completion of the tour. David has directed NZYC since 2011 and was himself a member from 1985–1991 before becoming a founding member of Voices NZ and going onto an illustrious career in music education. ' It's been my great honour to direct the New Zealand Youth Choir for the past 15 years,' David says, ' As an NZYC alumnus, I've always considered this role bigger than any person who has the opportunity to conduct it and, with that in mind, 2025 is the time for my tenure with the choir to come to an end '. The Holy Trinity Cathedral concert on Friday 27th June will be David's last New Zealand concert as New Zealand Youth Choir director. ' David is one of New Zealand's most prominent conductors, and his extraordinary legacy with New Zealand Youth Choir will be cherished and celebrated,' says Arne Hermann, Choirs Aotearoa NZ's CE, ' While David's tenure with NZYC will come to an end, his mahi with CANZ will continue. We will announce the new Music Director closer to the commencement of their start date in early 2026 – and once the recruitment process is complete '. While overseas, NZYC will also sing in Singapore and the UK: Oxford, Barnsley and a concert at Sinfonia Smith's Square, London – where NZYC in 2016, the last time they were in Europe led by David, recorded their 'Live in London' DVD and won the Grand Prix at the 2016 IFAS in the Czech Republic in 2016. NZYC has a Give-a-little page to support their 2025 tour. NZ Youth Choir Farewell Concert at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland 7:30pm, Friday 27 June, 2025 MORE ABOUT DAVID SQUIRE David has taught music in schools for 35 years and in 2011 won a New Zealander of the Year Local Heroes Medal for services to music education. His ensembles have won many awards at local and international music festivals, such as the NZCF Big Sing. His Rangitoto College mixed-voice chamber choir, The Fundamentals, won the platinum award at the 2008 NZCF Big Sing Finale in Wellington – the first time for a mixed-voice choir. David's upper-voice choir from Kristin School, Euphony, was third in the open female choir competition at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, in 2013. In 2019, Euphony represented New Zealand at the Budapest International Choral Festival, winning the Youth Choirs of Equal Voices category, coming 3rd in the open Musica Sacra category and was invited to compete for the Grand Prix. David's Westlake Boys High School lower-voice choir, Voicemale, won the Grand Prix at the 2nd Leonardo da Vinci International Choral Festival in Florence in 2018, and David won the award for best conductor at this event. David has been music director of the Westlake Symphony Orchestra for 25 years, and it has won more gold awards at the KBB Music Festival than any other ensemble. In 2014 the orchestra was placed first equal at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna. David is also the director of the Auckland Youth Choir, Vice-Chair of the New Zealand Association of Choral Directors, is a national conducting advisor and tutor and was a governance board member of the New Zealand Choral Federation for 9-years. He completed his undergraduate study at the University of Auckland, with an emphasis on conducting and composition, later graduating with a Master of Music degree with first class honours in choral conducting. He studied singing with Isabel Cunningham, Glenese Blake and Beatrice Webster, and conducting with Karen Grylls and Juan Matteucci. He has sung with many top choirs in New Zealand, including the Auckland Dorian Choir, University of Auckland Chamber Choir and the New Zealand Youth Choir. He was a founding member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir and the V8 Vocal Ensemble. David has previously led the New Zealand Youth Choir on four international tours, including the USA and Canada in 2013, which featured performances of the War Requiem by Britten in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, as well as concerts in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York and Washington DC. In 2016 the choir gave concerts in Singapore, the Czech Republic, France and the UK. Tour highlights included singing high mass at Notre-Dame in Paris, a lunchtime concert at Windsor Castle, and producing a live DVD recording of a well-received concert at St Johns Smith Square in London. The choir also participated in the Festival of Academic Choirs in Pardubice, Czech Republic, winning every category it entered, as well as the prize for outstanding vocal culture, and then going on to win the Grand Prix. At the end of 2019 the choir embarked on a Pacific tour aboard the cruise ship MS Maasdam, taking in Tonga, Niue, Fiji, New Caledonia and Sydney. In 2022 the choir toured Australia, presenting performances in Tasmania, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and at the Sydney Opera House. As a freelance musician, David has conducted several local ensembles, including the Auckland Philharmonia and the St Matthews Chamber Orchestra. He was the assistant musical director of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, founding musical director of the Auckland Youth Big Band, chairman and administrator of the KBB Music Festival, and a live performance reviewer for Radio NZ Concert. David is often involved in session and recording work, particularly as a conductor, adjudicator, clinician and singer and was choir director on the recent New Zealand film, Tinā. He has also served as the choir director for Synthony, and is the chorus master for the International Schools Choral Music Society based in China.
1News
4 days ago
- 1News
Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton among stars to receive honorary Oscars
Thirty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination, he's finally getting a trophy. It's not for his death-defying stunts, either. At least, not exclusively. Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and Do The Right Thing production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards, the film academy said Wednesday. Dolly Parton will also be recognised with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her decades-long charitable work in literacy and education. "This year's Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact," Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. Most recipients of the prize historically have not yet won a competitive Oscar themselves. Cruise, 62, has been nominated four times, twice for best actor in Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, once for supporting actor in Magnolia and once for best picture with Top Gun: Maverick. He's also championed theatrical moviegoing and big-scale Hollywood production through the coronavirus pandemic. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Auckland's supermarket fire, Trump's threat to Iran, and how a smart watch could make you fitter. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Yang spotlighted Cruise's "incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community". Allen, 75, has never been nominated for an Oscar. But the multi-hyphenate entertainer — she also acts and produces — has played an integral role in the Oscars show, having choreographed seven ceremonies over the years. Four of those were nominated for prime-time Emmy awards. A nomination had also eluded Thomas, a leading production designer whose films have often gone on to best picture nominations and even one win, for Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind. Thomas is most known for his long-term collaboration with filmmaker Spike Lee, from She's Gotta Have It and Malcolm X through Da 5 Bloods. Dolly Parton poses at the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Ceremony in New York in 2022. (Source: Associated Press) Parton has been nominated twice for best original song, for 9 to 5 and, in 2006, Travelin' Thru from the film Transamerica. But her honour celebrates her humanitarian efforts over the years, through organisations like the Dollywood Foundation and the literary program Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Yang said Parton "exemplifies the spirit" of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The awards will be handed out during an untelevised ceremony on November 16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. Last year's recipients included the late Quincy Jones, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard Curtis and casting director Juliet Taylor. ADVERTISEMENT Recipients of the prizes, which honour lifetime achievement, contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences and service to the academy are selected by the film academy's board of governors.
