Blade fetches $6.4m

FONTAINEBLEAU, France — A gold-encrusted sword Napoleon wore into battle in Italy sold on Sunday for more than $6.4 million at an auction south of Paris, the auction house said.
The last of Napoleon's swords in private hands, it had been expected to fetch more than $1.6 million, according to the Osenat auction house, which handled the sale.

Osenat did not identify the buyer, but said the sword will remain in Napoleon's family, which had put it up for sale in the first place. The emperor gave it to his brother, Jerome, as a wedding gift in 1805 — and it had remained among their descendants ever since.

Applause rang out in a packed auction hall across the street from one of Napoleon's imperial castles in Fontainebleau, a town southeast of Paris where the sword was sold.

The intricately decorated blade is 32 inches in length and curves gently — based on an inspiration Napoleon drew from his Egyptian campaign, auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat said.

The sword was carried by Napoleon — who was not yet emperor — into the Battle of Marengo in June 1800, when he launched a surprise attack to push the Austrian army from Italy and seal France's victory, auction house officials said.

The sword was declared a national treasure in 1978, meaning that under French law it could be sold to a foreign buyer but had to remain in France for at least five months per year.

The sale ended up being a family affair. Before the auction, its joint owners were eight direct descendants of Napoleon. Strong enough for battle, the sword is uncommonly ornate — with geometric designs in gold covering the hilt and most of the blade.