Two decorative pistols that were owned by French Emperor Napoleon I until his first abdication in 1814, and are classified as "national treasures" in France, were sold at auction on Sunday for 1.69 million euros (including fees), according to what the Ozna auction house said.

The two pistols were sold in their precious box (made of walnut and ebony with green velvet embroidered with gold) and their accessories. They were inlaid with gold and silver, and bore a drawing of the emperor on them.
Expert Jean-Pierre Ozna estimated their value to Agence France-Presse at between 1.2 and 1.5 million euros.
The Ozna and Rossini houses, which organized the auction in Fontainebleau on the outskirts of Paris, did not reveal any information about the identity of the buyer, but they described the auction as a success.
The National Treasures Advisory Committee considered the two pistols a “national treasure,” in a notice it attached to an order rejecting the export certificate, which was published in the Official Gazette on Saturday.
The Ministry of Culture said on Saturday that the two pistols "are destined to be included in the national collections of what is known as the Sword of the Emperors, which at the same time was presented by the Emperor shortly after his overthrow to General Caulaincourt."
The rejection of the export certificate opens a period of 30 months during which the French administration can submit a purchase offer to the owner of the two pistols, who has the right to refuse. If the state abandons the acquisition, the two pistols could be taken out of the country.
The Ministry of Culture explained on its website that “regardless of its value and age, cultural property that qualifies as a national treasure can only leave France temporarily, with the obligation to return it.”
Expert Jean-Pierre Ozna pointed out that Napoleon I requested that the two pistols be made “specially from the gunsmith Louis Marin-Jose, who worked in the Versailles factory.”
The two pistols are linked to the Emperor's attempt to commit suicide in Fontainebleau on the night of April 12 to 13, 1814, during his first abdication.
Ozna said: “After his defeat in the French campaign, he was completely depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these two weapons, but his chief companion Caillancourt (Arman Augustin Louis, 1773-1827) removed the ammunition from the two pistols. Then Napoleon drank the poison, but he vomited it and did not die.”
The expert added: “After that, the Emperor presented the two pistols, along with a sword, to Caulaincourt in appreciation of his loyalty in those dark days, and they have remained the property of his family since then, which decided to give them up.”
In November, the Emperor's famous black hat with a blue, white and red stripe was sold for 1.932 million euros (including fees), a world record.
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