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Scarce lock of three or four strands of hair taken from the head of Napoleon Bonaparte on his deathbed, affixed by a red wax seal to a 19th-century letter of provenance certifying its origin. The certificate, signed by Gérard de Beauregard and dated September 6, 1897, reads, in part (translated): "This hair comes from a lock collected from the head of Emperor Napoleon in Saint Helena on May 5, 1821, by Mademoiselle de Montholon. She gave it to Count Jules de Champagny, who gave it, on August 19, 1852, to Madame Bergier de Beauregard, née Adelaide du Colombier, my grandmother. I am giving them today as a precious souvenir, as a testimony of my deep sympathy, to Mr. Pierre Claudin, and I affirm with my signature and my stamp their absolute authenticity." Handsomely displayed in an exotic wooden frame with inlaid bees—the symbol of the emperor—to an overall size of 10.75 x 12.25; on the reverse is a handwritten letter by Beauregard, dated January 16, 1933, presenting the lock: "If I gave you this relic of Napoleon I, I knew that it would find in you the same respect with which I surrounded it." In fine condition, with some staining to the old paper mount and an overall mothball odor.
Cut on the day of Napoleon's death, May 5, 1821, in Saint Helena, this precious relic was retained by Hélène Napoleone de Montholon-Sémonville (1816–1907), Napoleon’s goddaughter. As she departed Saint Helena in July 1819 with her mother, Albine de Montholon, the lock almost certainly originates from her father, Count Charles-Tristan de Montholon, one of the emperor’s closest companions in exile. Montholon was present at Napoleon’s bedside during his final moments, closed the emperor’s eyes at death, and served as executor of his will. Locks of hair taken after Napoleon’s last breath were extraordinarily scarce, distributed in only minute quantities among a select few of his intimates. This example belongs to that exceedingly rare group, making it one of the most desirable Napoleonic relics known. The piece later passed through the hands of Count Jules de Champagny, one of the Dukes of Cadore and son of politician Jean-Baptiste de Nompère de Champagny, followed by Pierre-Roger Claudin (1877–1936), distinguished illustrator, painter, and member of the École de Nancy.
