A well-heeled fashion collector forked out more than 43,225 euros ($57,000) to own a pair of Marie Antoinette's dainty slip-on shoes.
The heels, a size 3.5, were sold at an auction of French Revolution Era artefacts in Toulan, France last weekend, and fetched around 14 times their asking price.
While their ribbon detail has faded over the centuries, it is believed the French queen may have worn the glamorous shoes with a white gown and a headpiece covered with matching tricolour ribbon and feathers.
These shoes, once owned by Marie Antoinette, sold for an amazing $57, 000 at an auction in Toulon, France
The auctioneers who sold them believe the queen wore the shoes during the Fête de la Fédération on July 14, 1790, the first ever Bastille Day celebration.
This portrait of Marie Antoinette by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun shows the queen in characteristically lavish attire
Born an Austrian Archduchess, Marie Antoinette married the future Louis XVI at the age of 14, when he was the heir apparent to the French throne.
France was then the most powerful nation in continental Europe, and their wedding ceremony, held in 1770, was an occasion unmatched for pageantry.
When Louis became king in 1774 the young queen threw herself into a decadent life of masked balls, gambling, and extravagance.
Known as a fashion obsessive with hugely expensive tastes, Marie Antoinette earned herself the nickname 'Madame Deficit' after spending more than twice her allotted clothing allowance.
Her husband the king did little to check her indulgences, which included excessive headdresses and plumes that were frequently caricatured by her detractors.
While some experts now believe her lavish spending helped contribute to the French Revolution by fuelling popular discontent, Marie Antoinette has gone down in history as a muse to fashion designers past and present.
The Queen consort was the subject of a 2006 comedy drama starring Kirsten Dunst, which won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Her iconic status was perhaps enhanced by the manner of her death, which came at the height of the French Revolution.
Marie Antoinette was subjected to a mock trial for treason in October 1793, and subsequently executed by guillotine.
Legend has it that the queen's final words were an apology to her executioner, whose foot she had trodden on:
'Monsieur, I ask your pardon. I did not do it on purpose.'
Kirsten Dunst starring in the 2006 film 'Marie Antoinette', which was written and directed by Sofia Coppola
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