The famous black bicorne, adorned with its blue, white, and red cockade that played a significant role in establishing the iconic image of Napoleon I, was auctioned at the Osenat auction house in Paris on 19 November, fetching a staggering €1.9 million (approximately £1.6 million) and setting a new record. Initially valued at €500,000, the hat sold for four times its estimate in less than two minutes.
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Napoleon is believed to have owned 120 hats, with only 16 surviving to this day, most of which are now displayed in museums worldwide. Therefore, the fact that this authentic hat from 1806 was in private possession makes it exceptionally rare and undoubtedly a coveted item for collectors of the Napoleonic era. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat noted that this hat, "carries all the symbolism of [the] 15 years which revolutionised France and which changed the world." Notably, Napoleon had a unique practice of wearing the hat facing forward, setting him apart from others and enabling his soldiers to easily identify him on the battlefield.
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Napoleon donned the same style of hat throughout the 15 years of his imperial reign, making some variations in proportions. The Napoleonic bicorne, crafted from simple felt and without ornamentation or leather, distinguished itself from the extravagant headgear worn by other figures of the time. The design of the cocked hat was attributed to Pierre-Quentin-Joseph Baillon, appointed as the Emperor's quartermaster in 1806. Napoleon personally added his cockade to the hat while returning from the island of Elba on 1 March 1815.
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The previous record for a hat of this kind was set in 2014 at Osenat, where a model owned by the princely family of Monaco fetched €1.88 million. Another bicorne hat, similar to the one that just broke the record, was sold in Lyon in 2018 for €350,000, and was allegedly worn by Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.