BINOCHE ET GIQUELLO - The boots of Napoléon 1st were a size 40
Friday 29 November 2019Expert: Jean-Claude Dey
A pair of boots worn by Napoléon the Ist in Sainte Hélène will be presented at auction by auction house Binoche et Giquello on Friday 29 November. The boots had been lent by General Bertrand (1773-1844), one of the Emperor’s comrade during his exile on the English island, to the sculptor Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867) who was then working on an equestrian statue representing Bonaparte. The sculptor’s son, the Baron Marochetti, gave these boots to senator Paul Le Roux. They stayed in the family since then and are estimated to reach between €50,000 and €80,000.
The Emperor’s bootmaker was named Jacques and lived on Montmartre street in Paris. From the beginning of the Empire, Napoléon bought him boots, at the cost of 80 Francs per pair. He used many pair of boots. Napoleon was 1,69m tall, above the average size, at the time, and wore what would be a current size 40.
Italian sculptor who became French, student of both Joseph Bosio (1768-1845) and Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1835), Carlo Marochetti was one of the most prominent artists of the July Monarchy. Among his numerous artworks, a sculpture depicts the battle of Jemappes for the ornamentations of the Arc of Triumph, the altar of the church of la Madeleine and several works for cemeteries, among which Vincenzo Bellini’s tomb in the Père Lachaise cemetery. He was also the author of the equestrian statue of Emmanuel Philibert, Duc of Savoy, which lays at the center of Piazza San Carlo in Turin.
He worked for several years on Napoleon Ist’s tomb. The Emperor’s representation was the subject of many discussions between the parliamentary commission in charge of the artist’s project, concerning mainly the costume the Emperor would wear. In the end, the Coronation costume was chosen instead of another uniform and the Esplanade des Invalides was chosen as the location of the statue. Nonetheless, the monument was never built due to the lack of sufficient funds.
General Bertrand had lent this pair of riding boots to the sculptor, which was represented on numerous paintings by Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). They can be recognised on Napoléon à Fontainebleau, 1840, by François Gérard (1770-1837) or La Bataille d’Iéna, 4 octobre 1806 by Horace Vernet (1789-1863) for instance. Before he died, Napoléon Ist gave some objects to his four comrades in exile, for them to take back to his son. However, Henri Gatien Bertrand died before getting back the boots he had lent to Marochetti.
Later, Marochetti built a statue of General Bertrand for the city of Chateauroux.
A pair of boots worn by Napoléon the Ist in Sainte Hélène will be presented at auction by auction house Binoche et Giquello on Friday 29 November. The boots had been lent by General Bertrand (1773-1844), one of the Emperor’s comrade during his exile on the English island, to the sculptor Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867) who was then working on an equestrian statue representing Bonaparte. The sculptor’s son, the Baron Marochetti, gave these boots to senator Paul Le Roux. They stayed in the family since then and are estimated to reach between €50,000 and €80,000.
The Emperor’s bootmaker was named Jacques and lived on Montmartre street in Paris. From the beginning of the Empire, Napoléon bought him boots, at the cost of 80 Francs per pair. He used many pair of boots. Napoleon was 1,69m tall, above the average size, at the time, and wore what would be a current size 40.
Italian sculptor who became French, student of both Joseph Bosio (1768-1845) and Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1835), Carlo Marochetti was one of the most prominent artists of the July Monarchy. Among his numerous artworks, a sculpture depicts the battle of Jemappes for the ornamentations of the Arc of Triumph, the altar of the church of la Madeleine and several works for cemeteries, among which Vincenzo Bellini’s tomb in the Père Lachaise cemetery. He was also the author of the equestrian statue of Emmanuel Philibert, Duc of Savoy, which lays at the center of Piazza San Carlo in Turin.
He worked for several years on Napoleon Ist’s tomb. The Emperor’s representation was the subject of many discussions between the parliamentary commission in charge of the artist’s project, concerning mainly the costume the Emperor would wear. In the end, the Coronation costume was chosen instead of another uniform and the Esplanade des Invalides was chosen as the location of the statue. Nonetheless, the monument was never built due to the lack of sufficient funds.
General Bertrand had lent this pair of riding boots to the sculptor, which was represented on numerous paintings by Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). They can be recognised on Napoléon à Fontainebleau, 1840, by François Gérard (1770-1837) or La Bataille d’Iéna, 4 octobre 1806 by Horace Vernet (1789-1863) for instance. Before he died, Napoléon Ist gave some objects to his four comrades in exile, for them to take back to his son. However, Henri Gatien Bertrand died before getting back the boots he had lent to Marochetti.
Later, Marochetti built a statue of General Bertrand for the city of Chateauroux.
Public auction – Drouot – Salerooms 1 & 7
Friday 29 November – 2 pm
Public exhibition – Drouot – Rooms 1 & 7
Thursday 28 November – 11 am – 9 pm
Friday 29 November – 11 am – 12 pm
Friday 29 November – 2 pm
Public exhibition – Drouot – Rooms 1 & 7
Thursday 28 November – 11 am – 9 pm
Friday 29 November – 11 am – 12 pm
