London (AFP)

The key to the room where Napoleon died when he was imprisoned on the island of Saint Helena by the British was torn off Thursday at 81,900 pounds (92,000 euros), said the British auction house Sotheby's.

Contested between eleven bidders, this 13 cm long metal piece was finally auctioned more than sixteen times its initial estimate, located between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds (5,500 euros).

It was found "in an envelope, in a trunk of a Scottish house", had explained in a press release ahead of the sale David MacDonald, specialist in British furniture at Sotheby's.

"The family who had always known she was there somewhere, but she had been hidden," he added.

A soldier named Charles Richard Fox, who was on the island of Saint Helena after the death of the French Emperor in 1821, had brought the key back to Scotland to give it to his mother, who was a "big fan" of the former ruler, to the point of having sent him sweets and books during his captivity.

His descendants eventually found the key, and decided to sell it at auction.

“We often see objects associated with Napoleon - important paintings or furniture from one of his incredible homes,” said David MacDonald, “but there is something quite powerful about this key, especially because it comes from the place where he was imprisoned and from the room where he died ".

"It was as strong and powerful an object then as it is today," he said.

Mr. Fox himself had removed the key from his lock during a visit after Napoleon's death, he explained in a note dated September 6, 1922, sold with the object.

© 2021 AFP