PARIS (AP) 鈥� After exposed the legendary emperor to a new generation, over 100 relics 鈥� which shaped empires, broke hearts and spawned centuries of fascination 鈥� are on display in Paris ahead of what experts call one of the most important Napoleonic auctions ever staged.
His . A sleeve from his red velvet coat. Even the divorce papers that ended one of history鈥檚 most tormented romances 鈥� with Josephine, the empress who haunted him to the end.
Two centuries after his downfall, Napoleon remains both revered and controversial in France 鈥� 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.
鈥淭hese are not just museum pieces. They鈥檙e fragments of a life that changed history,鈥� said Louis-Xavier Joseph, Sotheby鈥檚 head of European furniture, who helped assemble the trove. 鈥淵ou can literally hold a piece of Napoleon鈥檚 world in your hand.鈥�
From battlefields to boudoirs
The auction 鈥� aiming to make in excess of 7 million euros ($7.5 million) 鈥� is a biography in objects. The centerpiece is Napoleon鈥檚 iconic bicorne hat, the black felt chapeau he wore in battle 鈥� with wings parallel to his shoulders 鈥� so soldiers and enemies could spot him instantly through the gunpowder haze.
鈥淧ut a bicorne on a table, and people think of Napoleon immediately,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the laurel crown of Julius Caesar.鈥�
The hat is estimated to sell for at least over half a million dollars.
For all the pageantry 鈥� throne, swords, the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honor 鈥� 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.
鈥淣apoleon was a great lover; his letters that he wrote are full of fervor, of love, of passion,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淚t 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.鈥�
A new generation of exposure
The auction's timing is cinematic. The 2023 biopic grossed over $220 million worldwide and reanimated Napoleon鈥檚 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: 鈥淓veryone 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.鈥�
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 escape him, even if you wanted to. He鈥檚 part of being French," said teacher Laure Mallet, 51.
History as spectacle
The exhibition is a spectacle crafted by celebrity designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, famed for dressing Lady Gaga and Pope John Paul II.
鈥淚 wanted to electrify history,鈥� Castelbajac said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a mausoleum, it鈥檚 a pop culture installation. Today鈥檚 collectors buy a Napoleon artifact the way they鈥檇 buy a guitar from Jimi Hendrix. They want a cabinet of curiosities.鈥�
He鈥檚 filled the show with fog, hypnotic music and immersive rooms. One is inspired by the camouflage colors of Fontainebleau. Another is anchored by Napoleon鈥檚 legendary folding bed. 鈥淚 create the fog in the entrance of the Sotheby鈥檚 building because the elements of nature were an accomplice to Napoleon鈥檚 strategy,鈥� the designer said.
Castelbajac, who said his ancestor fought in Napoleon鈥檚 Russian campaign, brought a personal touch. 鈥淚 covered the emperor鈥檚 bed in original canvas. You can feel he was just alone, facing all he had built. There鈥檚 a ghostly presence."
He even created something Napoleon only dreamed of. 鈥淣apoleon 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鈥檚.鈥�
Thomas Adamson And Jeffrey Schaeffer, The Associated Press
