A silk shoe that belonged to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France who was executed during the French Revolution, is set to go up for auction with a starting price of 10,000 euros ($A16,000).
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The sale takes place in the Palace of Versailles, where the queen - who has gone down in history as a symbol of the excesses of the French monarchy - and King Louis XVI held court before they were guillotined in 1793.
The shoe bears Marie Antoinette's name on its heel and she is thought to have worn it regularly during daily life at the palace, according to Jean-Pierre Osenat of the auction house conducting the sale.
"This auction is coming at a time when French people are facing real uncertainties regarding their values, and many of them are clinging onto the history of France," Osenat said.
"Marie Antoinette is someone who arouses the interest of the whole world."
Australian Associated Press