Paris (AFP)
A Napoleon handkerchief, a bloodstained batiste band used for his autopsy, a fine necklace made of gold thread and the Emperor's hair will be offered in Fontainebleau by the Osenat auction house, Wednesday, the 200th anniversary of his death.
A handwritten note accompanies these intimate objects, giving proof of their authenticity: "This small white silk bag contains the hair of HM the Emperor Napoleon I, a handkerchief, marked with his number, which belonged to him and a band stained with his blood during his autopsy. These precious objects were given to my father by General de Montholon on his return from Saint Helena ", indicates the note, signed by the" second Duke of Bassano ".
Montholon was one of the last companions of Napoleon's exile.
The Emperor's autopsy was performed on May 6, 1821 by Antommarchi, assisted by seven British doctors.
Montholon attended, along with the two other executors of the Emperor's testament, Bertrand and Marchand.
Next to these relics linked to death in Saint Helena, the Osenat house, renowned for its sales of objects linked to the monarchy and the empire, presents various objects, paintings and drawings including "a study of the leg for the Pope Pius VII "produced by Jacques-Louis David, in anticipation of the famous coronation painting.
The most beautiful piece of the "bicentennial sale" is a very elegant wooden sled painted green and gold that belonged to the Empress Josephine, with a shell-shaped case, adorned with a statue of the goddess Hebe, and to the front, an eagle with outstretched wings: testimony to the extreme refinement of the objects made for the court and the imperial family.
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