Salvador Dali's moustache perfectly preserved 30 years after he died

Now that truly is a piece of art.

An exhumation of the body of famous Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali has revealed that his equally famous moustache is still intact and even remains in its “ten-past-ten” position.

His remains were dug up in an attempt to settle a paternity case.

A 61-year-old fortune-teller, Maria Pilar Abel, insists she is the artist’s only child and if she is correct, could stand to inherit a quarter of Dali’s lucrative estate.

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“His moustache is still intact, [like clock hands at] 10 past 10, just as he liked it. It’s a miracle,” said Narcis Bardalet,the artist’s embalmer when Dali died in 1989, and who helped with Thursday’s exhumation.

“His face was covered with a silk handkerchief – a magnificent handkerchief,” he told Spanish media

“When it was removed, I was delighted to see his moustache was intact … I was quite moved. You could also see his hair.”

He added: “The moustache is still there and will be for centuries.”

During the exhumation, hair and bone samples were taken from Dali’s body, which is buried in a specially-made crypt at his home in Figueres, Catalonia.

Special awnings were put in place to protect the dead artist’s privacy, in case any drones were flown overhead.

Abel claims she is Dali’s daughter, thanks to an affair her mother had with the artist in 1955.

She added that it was an open secret in her family, about who exactly her father was and she has pursued the paternity claim for a decade.

Abel says their physical similarities are such that all she is missing is a moustache.

She also claims her mother told her she was odd – “just like her father”.

The artist, who died aged 84, was married to Gala Dali from 1934 until she died in 1982. Their marriage was known to be open, and she is said to have had many affairs.

However, there has always been speculation over Dali’s sexuality.

Dali’s estate was bequeathed by the artist to the Spanish government.

All the samples taken from Dali’s body will be returned to the grave.

A final result on the DNA test will be announced within the next two months.