The famous black bicorne with its blue, white and red cockade, which contributed to making the image of Napoleon I iconic, sold at Osenat auction house in Paris on November 19 for €1.9 million (about $2.1 million), thus establishing a new record. Priced at €500,000, the hat sold for four times its estimate in less than two minutes.
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Napoleon is said to have had 120 hats, of which only 16 remain today and most are on display in museums around the world. It is therefore very rare that this authentic hat from 1806 was in private hands, and it was undoubtedly a "holy grail" item for all collectors of the Napoleonic era. This hat, according to auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat, "carries all the symbolism of [the] 15 years which revolutionized France and which changed the world." Napoleon also uniquely wore the hat facing forward, which distinguished him from others and allowed his soldiers to easily identify him during battles.
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Napoleon donned the same style of hat throughout the 15 years of his imperial reign, making some variations in proportions. Very simple and made of felt, without ornament or leather, the Napoleonic bicorne immediately stands out from the extravagant headgear worn by other figures of the time. The cocked hat was designed by Pierre-Quentin-Joseph Baillon, who became the Emperor's quartermaster in 1806. Napoleon added his cockade to it while he was returning from the island of Elba, on March 1, 1815.
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The previous record for such a hat was established in 2014, also at Osenat, when a model owned by the princely family of Monaco sold for €1.88 million. Another bicorne hat similar to the one that just broke the record was sold in 2018 in Lyon for €350,000 and was allegedly worn by Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.