Paris (AFP)
A pair of boots worn by Napoleon I in his exile in St. Helena was auctioned Friday at Drouot in Paris for 117,208 euros (including costs), we learned from the house Binoche and Giquello who organized the sale.
This pair of boots, called "equestrian", 48 cm in height, black fine leather soles with small heels, was estimated between 50,000 and 80,000 euros.
It was lent by General Henri-Gatien Bertrand (1773-1844), companion of the emperor on the English island, to the sculptor Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867) while he was working on an equestrian sculpture for the tomb of Napoleon.
From the beginning of the Empire, Napoleon ordered his boots to the shoemaker Jacques, who lived in the rue de Montmartre in Paris. He made a big consumption of it.
It was 1.69m - a height above the average of the time, contrary to what the English propaganda of the day suggests - and the height of his feet was 26/27 cm, size of about 40-41.
© 2019 AFP