The 5th May 2021 marks 200 years since the death of the great military leader and first Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte in exile on the island of St. Helena. One of the most significant figures in world history, Napoleon's political and cultural legacy is undeniable. To commemorate this anniversary year, on 27 October, Bonhams will present Napoleon Bonaparte: The British Sale at New Bond Street, London.
The cross-category sale will feature an array of historically significant items – from jewellery and manuscripts to personal effects and paintings – exploring Napoleon, alongside other historically-related European figures, from France and Great Britain to Italy, Spain and beyond. Highlights of the sale will include personal artefacts from Napoleon as well as those of Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Lord Nelson, and Joséphine Bonaparte, amongst others.
Amongst the array of items on offer will be Napoleon's cane, made for the Emperor whilst he was on St. Helena (estimate: £70,000-90,000), Napoleon's shirt worn on St. Helena, one of only six known from his Will (estimate: £60,000-80,000), and a horsehair bracelet woven from the mane of Wellington's horse Copenhagen, on which he sat for 18 hours during the Battle of Waterloo (estimate: £2,000-3,000).
One of the other unique highlights of the sale will be an engraved bone apple corer likely crafted by one of Napoleon's guards from the 20th Regiment of Foot to commemorate his death on 5th May 1821 (estimate: £3,000-5,000). After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the British sent him to the island of St. Helena to live in exile from Europe. The island, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean some 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa, was in the territory of the East India Company at the time. In 1819, the 20th Regiment of Foot arrived on the island and were assigned as Napoleon's guard at his residence, Longwood House. This force was in addition to the existing garrison of 3,000 soldiers, along with six ships on constant patrol of the coastal waters, and an array of heavier ships moored off the capital, Jamestown.
The carver has been inscribed with the emblem of the Regiment and 'Longwood House', as well as the inscription 'quis custodiet' translates as 'who will guard' – a clear reference to the maker's position. Napoleon died at Longwood on the 5th May 1821. This date has been inscribed on the corer followed by the word 'vale', being the Latin for 'farewell'. On the day of his funeral, Napoleon's casket was carried by twelve grenadiers of his house guard.
Bonhams Director of European Business Development and Head of Sale, Simon Cottle, commented: "This extraordinary multi-disciplinary sale will explore the great Napoleon Bonaparte, his family and his marshals, together with his European and British adversaries – against the backdrop of famous battles, and Napoleon's ambitions to create a unified Europe under the control of the French Empire. It is not only timely given the anniversary, but also Bonhams' expansion in France. Certainly, the entente cordiale is still very much alive."
Highlights of the sale include :
• Portrait of Napoleon by Andrea Appiani, circa 1800. Estimate: £40,000-60,000.
• An exceptionally rare letter written on St. Helena by Napoleon to his companion in exile and English teacher, Emmanuel, Comte de Las Cases, in English, dated 1816. One of only three known to exist. The letter begins "...it is two o'clock after midnight, j have enow sleep j go then finish the night into to cause with you...". Napoleon came to the English language relatively late in life, having reportedly first expressed an interest in learning the language during the two-month voyage from Europe to the island in 1815. His lessons are well-documented by Count Emmanuel de Las Cases, in his hugely successful memoir Le Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène (published in 1823 after Napoleon's death). Estimate: £130,000-180,000.
• Napoleon's shirt worn on St. Helena, circa 1815. Estimate: £60,000-80,000.
• Bone apple corer, carved on St. Helena by a member of the 20th Foot regiment who guarded Napoleon in exile and who may have been a bearer of his coffin when he was buried on the island on 9 May 1821. Estimate: £3,000-5,000.
• Napoleon's walking cane carved on St. Helena from bone by a Chinese man. Estimate: £70,000-90,000.
• A horsehair bracelet woven from the mane of Wellington's horse, Copenhagen, on which he sat for 18 hours during the Battle of Waterloo. Estimate: £2,000-3,000.
• Portrait study of Napoleon by Meissonier, 1814. Estimate: £15,000-20,000.
• Portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson, circa 1800, by repute, the gift to Sir Thomas Hardy by Nelson. Estimate: £100,000-150,000.
• A sardonyx portrait cameo brooch given by Napoleon to one of his mistresses. Estimate: £15,000-20,000.
Several of the items that will be offered in the sale will be on display at a special exhibition Napoleon: From Waterloo to Saint Helena, Birth of the Legend at the Waterloo 1815 Memorial from 5 May – 17 October in Belgium.
Napoleon Bonaparte is regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history. Having led many successful campaigns during the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars, he reigned as Emperor of the France from 1804 until 1814, and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. During his lifetime, Napoleon dominated global affairs, building an empire that stretched over much of continental Europe. Following a crushing defeat at Waterloo in 1815, against British allied forces under the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena, a British territory, where he died six years later. His political and cultural legacy has made him one of the most celebrated, and controversial, leaders of all time.