{"id":7813,"date":"2025-05-28T20:27:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T20:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/28\/sothebys-auctions-pierre-jean-chalencons-napoleon-collection-in-june\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T20:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T20:27:15","slug":"sothebys-auctions-pierre-jean-chalencons-napoleon-collection-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/28\/sothebys-auctions-pierre-jean-chalencons-napoleon-collection-in-june\/","title":{"rendered":"Sotheby\u2019s Auctions Pierre-Jean Chalen\u00e7on\u2019s Napoleon Collection in June"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Napoleon\u2019s Iconic Bicorne Hat<\/em>; est. \u20ac500,000-800,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Napoleon Bonaparte<\/a> remains one of the rare historical figures to have attained truly global celebrity status, thanks in no small part to his histrionic personality, tragic downfall and scandal-laced life. Rising swiftly through the ranks during the French Revolution, propelled by a razor-sharp strategic mind, he became a general at age 24. Despite his youth, early victories in Italy and against Austria transformed him into a national hero. A military genius and ruthless political operator, he reshaped Europe largely by force: in 1799, he staged the coup of 18 Brumaire and assumed the role of First Consul of France. By 1804, he had crowned himself Emperor, effectively ending the republic. Strategy aside, Napoleon understood the power of image from the start, leveraging media, art and rhetoric to shape his myth and embed himself in the collective imagination as a modern idol.<\/p>\n

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His life and legacy continue to cast a long shadow over the global imagination, fueling a steady stream of books and films\u2014including Ridley Scott\u2019s stylized epic Napoleon<\/i><\/a> that dramatized his meteoric rise and dramatic fall. Riding this fascination, Sotheby\u2019s is preparing to auction one of the most comprehensive Napoleonic collections ever to reach the market. Drawn from the storied trove of Pierre-Jean Chalen\u00e7on\u2014an authority on all things Bonaparte\u2014the sale will take place on June 25<\/a> at Sotheby\u2019s Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor\u00e9 location in Paris.<\/p>\n

\"Paul\"Paul
Paul Delaroche, Napoleon at Fontainebleau, 31 March 1814<\/em>, 1848; estimate upon request. Photo: Hugo Gester \u2022 Art Digital Studio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exceptionally passionate about Napoleon, Chalen\u00e7on purchased his first artifact of the emperor at age 18 and spent the next four decades assembling a remarkable collection that traces the arc of Le Petit Caporal\u2019s entire life. The result is a strikingly complete archive, beginning with Napoleon\u2019s childhood and extending through his military triumphs, coronation and eventual exile on Saint Helena. \u201cAll the material comes to auction with provenances that you can only dream of: Napoleon, Jos\u00e9phine, Marie-Louise<\/a>, the Imperial family and so on,\u201d Sotheby\u2019s Paris head of sale Marine de Cenival<\/a> told Observer. \u201cIts appearance now, at a time when interest in Napoleon is at an all-time high, provides a wonderful opportunity for collectors to acquire their very own piece of French history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standout items\u2014many of which have been featured in exhibitions around the world\u2014span eras, capturing both the grandeur of Napoleon\u2019s empire and the vulnerability behind the myth. Among the highlights is one of Napoleon\u2019s iconic bicorne hats, which he famously wore en bataille<\/i> with the wings parallel to his shoulders\u2014unlike most officers, who wore theirs front to back. Estimated at \u20ac500,000-800,000, the hat was crafted by Poupard, Napoleon\u2019s official hatmaker, and gifted to General Mouton during the Battle of Essling in 1809 with the words: \u201cMy Mouton is a lion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Napoleon\u2019s personal gold and ebony seal; est.: \u20ac150,000-250,000. Photo: El\u00e9a Lef\u00e8vre<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other key objects tied to Napoleon\u2019s political and military career include the herald\u2019s sword and baton used during his self-coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris on December 2, 1804 (estimate: \u20ac200,000-400,000), his personal gold and ebony imperial seal seized by the Prussians after his final defeat at Waterloo (estimate: \u20ac150,000-250,000) and a specially designed portable \u201ccampaign bed\u201d crafted by his favored artisan, the aptly nicknamed \u201cFather Desouches\u201d (estimate: \u20ac40,000-60,000).<\/p>\n

The sale also includes more intimate, emotionally charged items tied to his public image and private life\u2014chief among them a set of emperor\u2019s garments (estimate: \u20ac50,000-80,000), listed by Napoleon in his Inventory of my effects that Marchand will keep to deliver to my son.<\/i> Entrusted to his loyal valet as \u201ctokens of paternal affection,\u201d the garments were ultimately returned to his mother, Madame M\u00e8re, after political upheaval derailed their intended journey.<\/p>\n

One of the top lots is also among the most personal: the first codicil of Napoleon\u2019s first testament,<\/i> written in exile on Saint Helena during a period marked by illness, paranoia and isolation. Most such documents were destroyed by Napoleon himself, but this rare codicil survived thanks to General Bertrand, who preserved it and passed it down through his family. It comes to auction with an estimate of \u20ac300,000-500,000.<\/p>\n

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SEE ALSO: 10 Historical Novels That Bring the Past to Life <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another deeply evocative piece is the religious marriage certificate from one of history\u2019s most storied love affairs: the union of Napoleon and Jos\u00e9phine. Handwritten and ceremonially ornate, the document, which has an estimate of \u20ac30,000-50,000, embodies both political maneuvering and romantic grandeur\u2014a gesture meant to satisfy both the Vatican and the French public. Yet it also foreshadows Jos\u00e9phine\u2019s eventual sacrifice to dynastic ambition.<\/p>\n

Offered separately is a red folio believed to have held official documents of their divorce. As Napoleon moved to secure an heir after years of frustrated hope, the dissolution of their marriage marked a painful but strategic pivot in his rule. This rare folio\u2014likely used for oversized edicts and decisions\u2014carries an estimate of \u20ac50,000-80,000. Its twin, which contains smaller-format documents, is housed in the French National Archives.<\/p>\n

\"The\"The
The marriage certificate of Napoleon and Jose\u0301phine; est.: \u20ac30,000-50,000. Photo: El\u00e9a Lef\u00e8vre<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Napoleon\u2019s subsequent marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria on March 11, 1810, accomplished what his previous union could not: the birth of a dynastic heir, the \u201cRoi de Rome.\u201d Sotheby\u2019s will present a collection of garments made for the newborn, many commissioned from the famed Parisian lace-maker la Veuve Minette, with an estimate of \u20ac50,000-80,000. For those drawn instead to Jos\u00e9phine\u2019s legacy, the auction includes a gilt-bronze mounted mahogany dressing table she commissioned for the Ch\u00e2teau de Saint-Cloud, offered at \u20ac200,000-400,000.<\/p>\n

Several paintings reinforcing the emperor\u2019s myth will hit the rostrum, including a contemporary copy of the iconic image of Napoleon on horseback. Originally painted by his favored artist Jacques-Louis David, this version\u2014executed by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse<\/a>\u2014is estimated at \u20ac30,000-50,000. Another regal portrait comes from the studio of Fran\u00e7ois-Pascal-Simon Baron G\u00e9rard, depicting Emperor Napoleon I in the coronation robes worn on December 2, 1804, at Notre-Dame.<\/p>\n

Also featured is \u00c9douard Detaille\u2019s patriotic tribute to Napoleon\u2019s victorious Italian campaign of 1796-97, a painting charged with nationalistic fervor and idealism, estimated at \u20ac60,000-100,000. Standing in sharp contrast is Paul Delaroche<\/a>\u2019s far more psychological rendering of Bonaparte\u2014a solitary figure confronting his downfall, physically diminished, emotionally shattered and fully aware of the weight of defeat\u2014expected to sell for \u20ac150,000-250,000.<\/p>\n

From myth to the deeply personal, the sale offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of one of history\u2019s most iconic figures through the very objects that accompanied him, ensuring Napoleon\u2019s legacy continues to resonate across generations. \u201cNapoleon is not only one of the most famous French figures in world history, alongside Louis XIV, but also one of the most famous people in the world,\u201d de Cenival said. \u201cHaving acquired rockstar status, his life and achievements continue to capture the imagination of so many, including leading film directors such as Ridley Scott<\/a> and Steven Spielberg<\/a>. Not a week goes by without someone talking about Napoleon somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Full-length\"Full-length
Studio of Franc\u0327ois-Pascal-Simon Baron Ge\u0301rard, Napoleon in his Coronation Robes;<\/em> estimate in the region of \u20ac300,000. Photo: Florian Perlot for Art Digital Studio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2015, Pierre-Jean Chalen\u00e7on\u2019s collection was exhibited in several museums across China, drawing more than one million visitors, and from 2005 to 2011, his holdings were shown in institutions across the United States. \u201cMany people now know more about Napoleon thanks to this collection, not least a new generation of admirers,\u201d de Cenival added. Amid rising global interest in the Empire period\u2014driven by record-breaking prices, an expanding collector base and renewed historical fascination\u2014Sotheby\u2019s has opted to preview key highlights from the sale in Hong Kong (May 23-27), followed by a showcase in New York (June 5-11).<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Sotheby\u2019s<\/p><\/div>\n