Osenat Auctions in Fontainebleau, France is offering a gold and ivory ring Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his "first love", the Antiques Trade Gazette reports.

The piece, which auctions on March 26, displays a scene of men and women harvesting cherries.

It references a time when the pair went cherry picking together in 1786.  

Caroline du Columbier made a big impression on the young Napoleon

Napoleon was a young lieutenant garrisoned in Valence when he first met Caroline du Colombier.

She is often described as his first love, although the relationship was entirely platonic. Still, his memory of their brief time together was a fond one and years later he gave her this ring.

Caroline and her husband would also be awarded important titles in Napoleon’s court when he took the throne in 1804.

They remained in touch, even after his exile to the remote island of St Helena in 1815.

Demand for memorabilia associated with Napoleon has skyrocketed in recent years. It’s likely to continue growing as we approach the bicentenary of his death in 2021.

The engagement ring Napoleon presented to his first wife, Josephine, in 1796 realised $948,000 in 2013.

The present lot is valued at $10,804-16,206.

It could easily exceed that estimate, given the impression his relationship with Caroline made on the young Napoleon.

We have a genuine strand of Napoleon’s hair for sale, find out more here.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about memorabilia auctions.