A wine glass that is thought to have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte is to be part of the auction of Fine British and European Glass and Paperweights at Bonhams in London, UK.
The glass is offered in a red, leather-coated wooden case with gilded toolwork. Attached to the case is a handwritten note that reads, ‘Wine Glafs of 1st Emperor Napoleon given to James C Fyler Esqr. by the Count Strasoldo Governor of Elba in 1818 AD’.
Simon Cottle, head of Bonhams’ glass department, said: “This example strongly resembles a similar glass in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome, which was directly acquired from descendants of Napoleon, and the case is specially made for the glass. This indicates its special nature and it was very portable, which would have been ideal for a man on a campaign. Although much of it is circumstantial, weighing up all the evidence it seems highly likely that the glass once belonged to the man himself.”
The glass is estimated to sell for £2000 - £3000.
Napoleon-owned glass to be auctioned
Published 6th June, 2011 by Greg Morris
Greg Morris
Glass International Editor
Greg Morris has been editor of Glass International and organiser of the Glassman conferences since 2012, specialising in glass packaging. Prior to this he spent five years working in newspaper journalism.