Two ornate pistols that belonged to French Emperor Napoleon I, prior to his first abdication in 1814, were sold at auction on Sunday for €1.69 million (including fees), according to the auction house "Ouzina." The pistols were sold in their exquisite case (made of walnut and ebony with green velvet embroidered with gold), along with their accessories. They are adorned with gold and silver and feature a depiction of the emperor.
Expert Jean Pierre Ouzina had estimated their value for AFP to be between €1.2 and €1.5 million. The auction houses "Ouzina" and "Rossini," which organized the auction in Fontainebleau, a suburb of Paris, did not disclose the identity of the buyer, but described the auction as successful.
The pistols were classified as "national treasures" by the national treasures advisory committee, as mentioned in a notice accompanying the decision to refuse the export certificate published in the official journal on Saturday. The Ministry of Culture stated that the pistols' fate is to join the national collections known as the Emperor's sword, which the emperor presented to General Colin Cors on the same occasion after his overthrow.
The refusal of the export certificate opens a 30-month period during which the French administration can make a purchasing offer to the pistols' owner, who has the right to refuse. If the state abandons the acquisition process, the pistols could be taken out of the country. The Ministry of Culture clarified via its website that "regardless of their value and age, cultural properties qualifying as national treasures cannot leave France permanently, with the obligation of their return."
Jean Pierre Ouzina noted that Napoleon I specifically requested the making of the pistols from gunsmith Louis Marin Josse, who worked at the Versailles factory. The pistols are linked to the emperor's suicide attempt in Fontainebleau on the night of April 12 to 13, 1814, during his first abdication.
Ouzina stated, "After his defeat in the French campaign, he was completely depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these weapons, but his chief aide Colin Cors (Armand Augustin Louis, 1773-1827) removed the ammunition from the pistols. Napoleon then ingested poison but vomited it back and did not die."
He added, "Subsequently, the emperor presented the pistols, along with a sword, to Colin Cors in appreciation of his loyalty during those dark days, and they remained in his family, which decided to part with them."
