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On 25th June, at Hôtel Drouot Auction Art Rémy offered a group of keepsakes which once belonged to the Duchess of Tourzel, the last governess to the children of Marie-Antoinette.
Among the highlights:
Lot 104. A secret snuffbox carried by Louis XVI during the escape to Varennes, hiding a concealed compartment that holds a delicate miniature of Marie-Antoinette, painted by François Dumont (Estimate: €10,000–15,000). Fearing a search, the Queen entrusted this precious object to the Duchess of Tourzel — a gesture of thanks for her steadfast loyalty. Sold for €52,844
Lot 105. Another poignant lot (Estimate: €15,000–20,000) is a casket of relics from the royal family’s captivity, including a glove said to have belonged to Louis XVII, found hidden in the wall of Marie-Antoinette’s cell at the Conciergerie — likely placed there by the Queen herself before facing the scaffold. Locks of royal hair, reverently preserved, and a thread braided by Marie-Antoinette during her imprisonment, complete this profoundly human testimony to her resilience in solitude. Sold for €50,800
3. A final piece, a silver casket (Estimate: €20,000–25,000), contains locks of hair from Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Louis XVII, and Madame Élisabeth. An engraved plaque records their birth and death dates; on the reverse, an excerpt from the Duchess of Tourzel’s will dedicates the casket — described as a “monument” — to her grandson. Sold for €63,500
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