Pierre CLAYETTE (1930-2005 )Variation on French and Italian jokers, 1974-75Oil on canvas. Signed and dedicated lower right to "Jacques Crépineau whose heart is a theatre, very friendly". Titled on the back. 98 x 131 cm Framed. For his friend Jacques Crépineau, Pierre Clayette took over the famous painting attributed to Verio and exhibited at the Comédie Française. Les Farceurs français et italiens by the latter is the first painting representing Molière, the first character on the left, then in the role of Arnolphe in L'École des femmes.

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.