In the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Sotheby’s will offer a superb pair of child-size pistols at the Treasures sale in London on 8 July 2015 (Wednesday). The pistols, which are dated 1814, are believed to be parting gifts from Napoleon I to his beloved three-year-old son, whom he had titled “King of Rome” at birth. Estimated at £800,000 – 1.2 million / HK$9.6 – 14.4 million, the pistols mark one of the most poignant moments in Napoleon I’s turbulent life – the last time he saw his son before his defeat in the battle and exile to Elba. Created by celebrated gunsmith Jean Lepage, the exquisitely wrought pistols, encrusted and inlaid with gold, are emblazoned with Napoleonic symbolism, such as the capitalised N and the Imperial eagle, marking them as an important Imperial gift. During the Siege of Paris which followed Napoleon I’s fall, the pistols were acquired in 1816 by an am

Read More: Sotheby’s to present Napoleon’s last gift to his son: A superb pair of child-size pistols