At its most extravagant, Marie Antoinette's hair-do was four feet high and boasted a replica of the French warship La Bella Poule, complete with masts and sails.
And, according to legend, the French queen's luscious locks turned white from stress the night before her execution in 1793.
Now, a piece of jewellery containing what is said to be some of the tragic royal's hair that was cut off before she was put to death has sold at auction for €7,500 (£6,313) in Paris - and the strands are white.
The lock is tied with a ribbon and black thread and is curled under glass inside a decorated brass medallion.
The medallion contains a handwritten note by a mystery author that reads: 'The hair of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, was given to me by a Commune [revolutionary government] prosecutor in charge of inspections of the Temple prison at the time when this unfortunate woman was detained there.'
