Marie-Antoinette Mules Fetch Thousands at an Auction

A pair of silk mules believed to have belonged to Marie-Antoinette fetched over 43,000 euros at an auction of French Revolution era artefacts on Saturday.

The white silk shoes decorated with tricolour pleated ribbons date back to 1790 and are size 36.5, which corresponds to Marie-Antoinette's shoe size, the organisers of the auction said.

They went under the hammer in the French city of Toulon for 43,225 euros (over $57,000), vastly exceeding the expected sale price of between 3,000 and 5,000 euros.


Organisers said the shoes may have been worn by the Austrian-born Marie-Antoinette, the Queen consort of Louis XVI, at national day celebrations on July 14, 1790.

Marie-Antoinette, the subject of deep resentment in France for her legendary extravagance, was executed by the guillotine in October 1793 for treason following the revolution.