PARIS — A pale and cracked felt hat worn by Napoléon Bonaparte fetched $1.6 million at an public sale Sunday of the French emperor’s belongings

Yes, $1.6 million.

The signature broad, black hat — one among a handful nonetheless in existence that Napoléon wore when he dominated nineteenth century France and waged struggle in Europe — was initially valued at $650,000-870,000. It was the centerpiece of Sunday’s public sale in Fontainebleau of memorabilia collected by a French industrialist who died final yr.

But the bidding shortly jumped larger and better till Jean Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat public sale home, designated the winner.

“We are at 1.5 million (euros) for Napoleon’s hat … for this major symbol of the Napoleonic epoch,” he stated. The title of the successful bidder was not launched.

While different officers usually wore their hats with the wings dealing with entrance to again, Napoléon wore his with the ends pointing towards his shoulders. The type — often known as “en bataille,” or in battle — made it simpler for his troops to identify their chief in fight.

PHOTOS: A hat worn by Napoleon fetches $1.6 million at an public sale of the French emperor's belongings

The hat on sale was first recovered by Col. Pierre Baillon, a quartermaster below Napoléon, in response to the auctioneers. The hat then handed by many fingers earlier than industrialist Jean-Louis Noisiez acquired it.

The entrepreneur spent greater than a half-century assembling his assortment of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords and cash earlier than his dying in 2022.

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