BENYOWSKY Maurice-Auguste de. Memoirs and travels of Maurice-Auguste, count of Benyowsky, his military operations in Poland, his exile in Kamchatka, his escape and his journey through the Pacific Ocean, to Japan, Formosa, China. With details of the establishment he was charged by the French ministry to form in Madagascar. Paris, Buisson, 1791; 2 volumes in-8 half tan basane, smooth spines, red parts. Captivating memoirs but that historians suspect of amplifications due to the author's overflowing imagination. This one of Polish-Austrian-Hungarian origin was imprisoned by order of Catherine II, met Benjamin Franklin in Paris and would have been crowned sovereign of Madagascar.

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.