Napoleon Bonaparte's personal effects auctioned
A sad day indeed. A lock of hair of Napoleon cut a day after his death and other effects were auctioned in New Zealand. These itemsdeserved to be displayed in a museum.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, oh, the two words have magic to mesmerize anyone. Men and women, kings and captains were equally fond of that genius, be it a battlefield or a palace. Napoleon had a many faceted personality. A brilliant general who knew where to hit the enemy hard, an emperor who gave away kingdoms to kith and kin as one gives away old wardrobe, Napoleon charmed both friend and foe. Auctioning his lock of hair was like auctioning a part of his body. it fetched maximum amount of money. Kept safely in a private collection in New Zealand in the house of descendants of Napoleon's jailor, the lock of hair and many other items were shipped from St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean where Napoleon breathed his last in 1821. An admirer of Napoleon would perhaps wish that these memorabilia were kept safely in a museum and periodically put on display for public viewing.But that was not to happen. Now there is no point in crying over spilt milk. What about the recorded rumour that Napoleon was slowly administered arsenic by his captors, the British administrators and jailors? Now that the lock of hair has been auctioned and bought by a private collector in London, the chances of putting the lock of hair under the lens would be remote. In any case the British would be least interested in opening a closed case lest it shows them in bad light. HEALTH IN HELENA What was the state of health of Napoleon in Helena? Pray, tell us how would you feel if you are kept in an isolated island as a prisoner of your sworn enemy? There will be nothing to cheer you up. Dull, dreary, monotonous and no tidings from home. Day after day, night after night, staring at the same sky may cause depression in an ordinary mortal. But Napoleon was made of sterner stuff. he was an Emperor once upon a time. Napoleon kept that universal malady called depression at bay all the time. Let us take a peep into the diary of Denzil Ibbetson, a British military officer and an artist who was put on duty to guard against a repeat performance of Great Escape of Napoleon from St Elba. Over a period of six years that Napoleon remained alive after losing the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Denzil Ibbetson befriended him. They had long chats and compared notes on all subjects under the sun. Napoleon, as a prisoner of the British, still considered himself the lawful monarch of France and an Emperor of Christendom. He confided in Denzil that he still harboured the ambition of attacking England. He wished to forget the Battle of Waterloo as a bad dream. The dream never came true. He died in 1821 nursing that grand dream of invading England. The watercolour and lithograph showing Emperor Napoleon in deathbed fetched the maximum amount of money at the auction. It was 14,600 US dollars. One may say that since the auction was held in Auckland, New Zealand, the aforesaid items fetched a lesser amount than they deserved. But the auctioneers have discounted that eventuality. The bidders from many countries including England, Hong Kong, the two Americas and what have you participated. The publicity was adequate to attract real bidders and collectors of items of historical value. All said and done, research scholars who wish to fathom the depth of Napoleon's life and death will now have to knock at many doors to have their questionnaires answered. Some doors may open, some may not. Some mysteries may be revealed thereafter, some may continue to be as mysterious as heretofore.
 | Previous Post |
| Next Post |  |
Login
 Login through Social ID
|
Not finding what you are looking for? Search here.
