IN THE LIMELIGHT: FIT FOR AN EMPEROR

When a collection of antique weaponry came up for sale at Drouot auction rooms in Paris, collectors from all over the world mustered to share the spoils, which included Napoleon's historic gold sabre, finds Caroline Wheater

- Caroline Wheater

Paris in springtime was the perfect setting for one of this year's highest-grossing French auctions. The location was Hôtel Drouot in Quartier de l'Opéra, a hub of salerooms which are at the heart of the Paris art and antiques market, famously selling the estates of artists Degas, Ingres and Delacroix. At the beginning of March, another great collection went under the hammer - that of the late French antique weaponry dealer and scholar, Philippe Missillier, who had advised the likes of the Tower of London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art about acquisitions. In a two-day sale organised by Paris auction house Giquello, more than 600 bidders from 42 countries gathered at Hôtel Drouot to do battle over Missillier’s treasures. Among the 487 lots were rarities such as an 18th-century Mughal jade dagger set with rubies and emeralds, an 18th-century club from the Marquesas Islands, and an exceptional 16th-century combat helmet made for a noble European family.