Napoleon's hat

[Blind Pew]

Try this out for size!

I may consider a cheeky bid - you never know...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-...ems-on-sale-as-monaco-prince-seeks-funds.html

 

[MalcC]

Would love to be in the auction room. Needlessly to say not to bid, I don't have enough pennies.

Malc

 

[DEL]

I'm OK for hats

 

[BarrieHynd]

Slippers up for auction also, could do with a new pair of them.

Barrie

 

[Colin_Fraser]

The full auction catalogue is available for viewing as an ebook on the osenat site. Their Napoleonic catalogues are a great source.

Colin

 

[Blind Pew]

Would love to be in the auction room. Needlessly to say not to bid, I don't have enough pennies.

Malc

Deary me, you can say that again. That'd be fantastic. I'll put our names down.

 

[Helm]

bit more here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30066719

But it's just a hat

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Try this out for size!

I may consider a cheeky bid - you never know...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-...ems-on-sale-as-monaco-prince-seeks-funds.html

Loks a bit new to me His Bicorne is in a museum in Berlin , I have a picture somewhere ;looks more like the real thing as it is well worn and beat up, but I am sure he had a wardrobe full of these .

 

[MalcC]

bit more here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30066719

But it's just a hat

Hi Steve, it's not just the hat, it's the head that was in it.

Malc

 

[Blind Pew]

Wow, how much for that diamond-encrusted sword alone? Dear me.......

 

[OldTaff]

It was one of many of the same style he wore over a 15 year period, 19 of which are known to remain. Private collectors will have the cream of the crop of all this collection, and it's a fair bet they won't be seen in public view again. An illustration or two in obscure art and antique magazines, but that will be it. Why does the Grimaldi family need funds? Down to the last billion?

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Not entirely true. Ben Weider (author of the "Murder of Napoleon") donated his whole collection to the Montreal Museum of Art. The collection includes the chapeau Napoleon wore at Borodino as I recall. At least the stuff gets taken care of for the next generation when a private buyer gets it...and often the item returns to public display by loan or acquisition later.

A lot of stuff winds up in private hands because museum directors and boards flog items donated in good faith to pay for needless design updates (from British museum classic to plexiglass disneyland) or to pay for other acquisitions. Many collector friends of mine have stated that the last thing they would do with valuable artifacts they own is donate them to a public institution with public amateur management.

BTW - the bicorne sold by Osenat went to a South Korean gent for 1.9 million Euro!

Colin

 

[OldTaff]

Fair comment, Colin-----just peevishness on my part; if I had won Euromillions.............!
Your last line regarding the Korean gent.....Ipso facto, I rest my case.

Alan

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I was green eyed when I saw the catalogue too. As you can tell, thecway museums are run and changed is a pet peeve of mine. I hear the Imperial Wasr Museum's name must be added to the list of institutions making the transition from musty dysty to disneyland. After all the money spent on a new look, they are closing their library and firing the staff to meet their budget.

 

[Waterman]

When I visited his tomb in the Invalides many years ago, a notice on it stated that he lay dressed in the green undress coat of his favourite Regt, the Chasseurs Cheval, holding his Bicorne Hat across his chest. It was a point of interest to me, and I just state it for what it's worth.

 

[OldTaff]

Add to this that the National Army Museum is to be closed throughout 2015 for "re-vamping", which beggars belief. 2015 ! Closed! What committee of tw##s decided on that? All we need is Apsley House, No.1,London, to announce a closure next year , and that would put the cap on it

Alan

 

[OldTaff]

You and many others, old son. It wasn't my intention to give folk coniptions, it's just the staggering ineptitude that gets to me, and the lack of foresight. I'm waiting to see what the reaction is, if any, from the outspoken leader of UKIP!!

Cheers, Alan