Napoleon’s boots march out of auction with €91,000 bid

A pair of boots owned by Napoleon which were worn by him during his exile on the island of St Helena have been sold at auction in France.

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | Anne Crane

Leather riding boots worn by Napoleon which sold for €91,000 (£77,780) in an auction held by Binoche et Giquello at Drouot in Paris on November 29. Image credit. © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot.

Memorabilia or personal effects associated with Napoleon create continual interest and this pair of the emperor’s leather riding boots were no exception.

Made by his regular bootmaker, Jacques, who was based on the rue Montmartre in Paris, these boots were worn by him during his exile on the island of St Helena.

Lent to sculptor

They were lent by one of the emperor’s comrades, General Bertrand, to the sculptor Carlo Marochetti (1805-67) who was working on an equestrian statue of Napoleon.

The sculptor’s son, the Baron Marochetti, gave them to senator Paul Le Roux, in whose family they had remained until they were consigned to auction at Binoche et Giquello with an estimate of €50,000-80,000.

In the sale at the Drouot auction centre on November 29 they were bid to a hammer price of €91,000 (£77,780) (plus 26.6/22/12% buyer’s premium).