Napoleon’s rifle, silver soup spoon go under hammer

PARIS: A silver soup spoon that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on St Helena and a hunting rifle owned by the French emperor were sold at auction in France on Sunday. Engraved with Napoleon’s coat of arms, the silver soup spoon sold for 8,375 euros ($9,700) while the rifle, originally owned by King Louis XVI, went for 80,000 euros in the sale held by the Osenat auction house at Fontainebleau. Also going under the hammer was an 18-page herbarium probably used by Napoleon’s wife Josephine, which sold for 70,000 euros. And a bust of the Empress Josephine in her royal court finery by the Lyon sculptor Joseph Chinard went for 32,500 euros.