FAN GALLERY JAPAN, EDO PERIOD, LATE 17th - EARLY 18th CENTURY Imari porcelain, gilt brass mount H. 11 cm ; D. 26 cm This delightful Japanese porcelain cup has a polychrome and gold Imari decoration of chrysanthemum branches and a fan-shaped reserve showing a landscape background with pagodas. It rests on a circular base, encircled by a sober European gilt brass frame. Offered in France by the "merciers" merchants, "merchants of everything and makers of nothing" (Diderot), these mounted porcelains, mixing East and West, testify to the taste of the time for an exoticism which will be diffused in all the fields of creation.

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.