Displaying items by tag: prince's palace of monaco

A bicorne that belonged to Napoléon I will be the star lot at a two-day auction of Napoleon memorabilia from the collection of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.

The black felt hat with two horizontal points has become emblematic of the French emperor and is “believed to have been worn during his stay on the Island of Elba,” according to the auction house Osenat. The hat first came from Joseph Giraud, vet to the Imperial Household, and it carries an estimate of €300,000‑400,000. Napoleon is known to have owned numerous hats, some of which can now be found in museums around the world, and he wore them with the brim aligned to his shoulders to differentiate himself from his officers.

The Prince’s Palace of Monaco will auction the contents of its museum dedicated to Napoleon this November in what experts describe as the “sale of the century” for fans of the period.

French auction house Osenat confirmed reports on Thursday that the palace’s museum would hold the auction on November 15 and 16 in Fontainebleu, near Paris.

The collection, consisting of nearly 1,000 items including manuscripts, weapons and paintings, was mostly put together in the early 20th century by prince Louis II of Monaco.