Mozart’s fancy shoe buckle auctioned for €12,500

 

A shoe buckle owned by one of the world’s most famous composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has been auctioned for €12,500 ($14,500) in Vienna.

The show was handed down by the family of the famous composer’s shoemaker since the 18th century.

“The buyer of the sale that ended on Monday wished to stay anonymous,’’ a Dorotheum spokeswoman told newsmen on Tuesday.

The price was far above the estimated value of between €2,000 and €4,000 that had been set by the Dorotheum auction house.

The unknown collector will receive the engraved metal piece in an ornate reliquary shrine, accompanied by a hand-written letter of authenticity.

In the letter, Marie Buehn writes that the buckle was passed down for generations, starting with her great-grandfather Matthias Knoller, the Vienna master shoemaker who made Mozart’s footwear.

Mozart required the services of Vienna’s fashion artisans not only because of his expensive taste, but also because of his lively performance style.

According to a 19th-century biographer, in the spring of 1789, the composer conducted a concert in Dresden and kept the time by stamping his foot so forcefully that he broke a shoe buckle. (Dpa/NAN). Punch