Paris auction offers chance to step into Napoleon’s shoes
- Riding boots thought to belong to late French emperor expected to fetch up to US$88,000
- Auctioneers believe Napoleon owned the pair during his final exile in Saint Helena after defeat at Waterloo
A pair of boots thought to belong to French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is expected to fetch up to €80,000 (US$88,176) at a sale in Paris’ Drouot auctioneers on Friday.
Auctioneers said they believed Napoleon may have owned the leather riding boots during his final exile in Saint Helena, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, after his defeat at Waterloo.
“It’s difficult to separate these boots from the image we have of Napoleon,” said Alexandre Giquello, the auctioneer who will conduct the sale.
“It’s part of an icon, a universal one today, it’s extraordinary to sell this type of item. We know very well that image of Napoleon throughout the world: the hat, the boots, and maybe the frock coat.”
They come in at a European size 40 (US size 7, British size 6.5) and match descriptions of Napoleon’s boot orders placed with shoemaker Jacques in Paris’ rue Montmartre, the auctioneer said.