Guns from Napoleon’s suicide attempt fetch millions at auction

The Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau, France, sold two pistols once owned by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte for $1.8 million on July 7.

Parisian gunmaker Louis-Marin Gosset crafted these pistols, which Napoleon intended to use for suicide following his abdication in 1814.

The auction occurred near the Fontainebleau palace, where Napoleon tried to kill himself on April 12, 1814.

After his army was defeated and Paris was occupied by foreign forces, he sought the pistols but couldn’t find the gunpowder pouch. Desperate, he ingested poison but survived.

Napoleon later gave the pistols to his grand squire, Armand de Caulaincourt, who passed them down through his family.

Lavishly decorated with gold and silver and featuring an engraved image of Napoleon, the pistols were initially estimated to sell for between $1.3 million and $1.6 million.

Their final price exceeded expectations, showing a strong interest in Napoleon memorabilia.

The sale also included the pistols’ original box and accessories like a powder horn and tamping rods.

France’s culture ministry recently classified the pistols as national treasures, prohibiting their export. This classification gives the French government 30 months to purchase them from the new owner, whose identity remains undisclosed.

Interest in Napoleon memorabilia remains high. In November, a bicorne hat worn by Napoleon sold for $2 million.

The recent release of the biopic “Napoleon,” directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix, has further fueled this interest.