AUCTIONEERS are making waves with their latest auction, by putting under the hammer stands of hair belonging to two of the world's greatest composers.
A lock of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's hair, contained in a 19th-century gilt locket, is to be offered at Sotheby's auction and it is estimated to fetch between £10,000 and £12,000.
The strands were given by Mozart's widow, Constanze, to the mother of the German-born conductor Karl Anschütz.
It then passed into the collection of one of the most successful English song-composers of all time, Arthur Sommervell whose direct descendent now owns the item.
Locks of hair were frequently taken as keepsakes from the cadavers of recently deceased composers.
The same auction will also feature a printed invitation to Beethoven's funeral, together with a small lock of his white hair which is estimated to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000.
The pieces are currently on public exhibition at Sotheby's galleries in London till May 27 ahead of a sale on Thursday.
In 2002, Sotheby's sold a different lock of Mozart's hair, passed down from the mistress of one of Mozart's sons, for £38,240 - double its pre-sale high estimate.
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