Following an initial auction of Napoleon’s possessions and of artefacts from the era, a further 406 lots from the Prince’s Palace in Monaco were put on auction in Paris including a golden sword formerly of Tsar Alexander II’s late wife which sold for €190,000.
The first sale in November saw the famous bicorne hat of the French Emperor sell for €1.9 million. With almost every lot fetching in excess of its estimated value, the first auction achieved €10 million in total from the other 600 items that had formerly been the property of Monaco‘s royal family between 1895 and 1920.
The funds from the sale of the collection will pay for palace renovations: “Due to necessary rehabilitation of the Palais de Monaco, which will enhance our cultural heritage, I prefer to give a new lease of life to this collection of objects and relics, by organising a visible and grouped auction, rather than to see them remain in the shadows,” Prince Albert said in a statement about the auction.
On sale were also strands of Napoleon’s hair, his rifles, manuscripts, weaponry, furniture and paintings.
Several Napoleonic medals sold for as little as €30, while others exceeded expectations. Besides the golden sword for example, a unique gold gilded eagle fetched €85,000 and a lock of Napoleon’s hair sold for €40,000.
The renovations and refurbishments of the Prince’s Palace in Monaco are set to further increase investment in the Principality with Monte Carlo real estate in particular expected to receive more overseas interest as the Monegasque nation continues to improves its image.
