Napoleons Final Days

This collection of international significance attracted global media coverage. Uncovered during an 'Antiques Roadshow' style fundraiser for the Rotorua Museum, this hitherto unknown collection of Napoleonic memorabilia dating to his final days on the island of St Helena in the 1820s attracted bidders from all over the world. Of particular interest were scenes of Napoleon on his deathbed, a lock of the Emperor's hair and an unpublished diary account of his journey to St. Helena in the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo. All of these items traced their origin to Denzil Ibbetson, Commissary Officer on the island and an amateur artist of some talent.