Napoleon memorabilia attracts international interest

Napoleon’s Final Days
Art + Object, 3 Abbey St Newton, Auckland
June 29th

Next week there will be an extraordinary collection of memorabilia relating to Napoleon’s final days in exile on the island of St Helena being offered at auction by Auckland based auction house Art + Object.

It has generated international interest from overseas buyers and institutions which may see some of the items go for more than the expected reserves.

The collection has never been seen before in public and comes from the New Zealand descendents of Denzil Ibbetson the Commissary officer on the Island of St Helena during the period of Napoleon’s final incarceration and death in 1821.
Consisting of some forty items carefully protected by the Ibbetson family for almost two hundred years the offering is in effect an archive of images and Napoleonic effects which paints a vivid picture of Napoleon’s final years.

At the centre of the collection is a lock of Napoleon’s hair, various images of Napoleon on his deathbed, Denzil Ibbetson’s personal diary of the voyage to St Helena on the HMS Northumberland in 1815 and a large panoramic watercolour of Longwood House (expected to sell for around $12,000) – Napoleon’s residence on St. Helena and various images of structures and features on St. Helena.

Art + Object Managing Director Hamish Coney believes this to be one of the most important historic collections to be offered in Australasia in recent years, ‘Napoleon is one of the greatest figures of European history. This collection enables collectors and historians to gain a new perspective on his final years. Denzil Ibbetson was an acute recorder of life on the island and was in a unique position to access Napoleon in his final years. The images of Napoleon on his deathbed are breathtaking. We anticipate strong international interest.’

The collection begins with images of Napoleon and his officers on the ship HMS Northumberland on the voyage into exile on St Helena in 1815 and includes many sketches of Napoleon, major structures on St. Helena, scenes of island life and a group of images sketched and painted only hours after Napoleon’s death at the age of 51 on May 5 1821 including a graphite sketch by Ibbetson ($8000) and a lithograph image ($10,000).

The centrepiece of the collection is a lock of Napoleon’s hair in a small canister with the inscription by Ibbetson which reads, ‘Hair of Napoleon the 1st cut off the morning after his death May 1821’ ($12,000).

Of equal importance is his “Diary of the Voyage of the Northumberland to St Helena” ($10,000) which documents the voyage from Torbay a few weeks after Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo to his final exile on St Helena. The diary includes many observations of Napoleon and recordings of conversations with the defeated Emperor (see excerpt below).

On the island there were administrative tussles between Bonaparte and the British governor of the island, Sir Hudson Lowe with emperor complaining of his treatment.

He was annoyed that he was not being able to ride without a British escort, or able to take part in the horse races and other events with the British staff.
He also complained that the governor refused to call him “your majesty" instead of “General Bonaparte."

Bonaparte and his entourage received a daily allowance of about 40 kilos of meat, nine chickens and seventeen bottles of wine. Much of this is detailed in accounts kept by Ibbetson such as “Abstract of Supplies” ($2500) which consist of two sheets of paper with the daily supplies of fruit, vegetables meat milk and fish consumed in the month of January 1821.

Much of the value of the collection comes from its clear provenance says Coney, ‘the direct link to a recorded officer in the British Army who played such an important role in Napoleon’s life and whose connection is so close makes this collection completely unique. His descendents are to be commended for taking such good care of these items for nearly two hundred years.’
An exhibition of the collection will open prior to the auction.

Denzil Ibbetson Documents transcribed by Hamish Coney
“He is very corpulent, about 5 feet 6 inches high – short ????, grey full eyes, short brown hair, sallow complexion, broad shoulders & has at times a very ferocious countenance – he wears a green uniform coat of the Imperial Guard/Light Infantry/ with 2 Gold Epaulettes, plain red collar and cuffs. A star of the Grand Legion of Honour, three orders? Suspended from his button hole. Plain cocked hat, with the tricolour Cochade. Nankeen breeches with silk stockings & shoes & buckles of gold. Generally walks with his right hand in his breeches pocket & his left hand in his coat pocket & takes a great quantity of snuff – He plays a great deal at chip? With one of the Generals, when he plays? Ill, they play worse, ???? him off to advantage observing, “what ??? “excellent General you “are, & what a masterly move you have made.”
“Napoleon talks of invading England with 200 000 Infantry & 6000 Cavalry, but was uncertain of the disposition of the people of England, whether they would be for or against him, as he was induced to believe a great number would join him.”