Two pistols that Napoleon Bonaparte once intended to use to kill himself were sold in France on Sunday for €1.69 million ($1.8 million), the auction house said, with the government banning their export so they remain in the country as national treasures.
The identity of the buyer at the auction in Fontainebleau south of Paris of elaborately decorated objects was not made public, but the final sale price, with fees, was above estimates of 1.2-1.5 million euros, foreign media write, Telegrafi reports.
The highly decorated arms in gold and silver present the engraved image of Napoleon in full imperial pomp.
They are said to have been almost used to end the French ruler's life in 1814, when he was forced to abdicate after foreign forces defeated his army and occupied Paris.
Before the arms sale, the French culture ministry had classified the objects as national treasures and imposed a ban on their export. /Telegrafi/
