François BARBÉ-MARBOIS (1745-1837) minister and administrator. L.A.S., Port-au-Prince October 15, 1786; 1 page in-4 (stamp of the Crawford collection). He has not forgotten that his correspondent takes great interest in M. Descars and M. Pinet. "I ask today for the patent of Principal Writer for both of them. I beg you to make this known to Mr. Viscount de Mailly so that he will join his efforts to yours in favor of Mr. Descars. Mr. de Vaivres and Mr. Pinet will thus be able to combine their interest with yours for the second request I am making to the minister. The success of my requests will be doubly pleasing to me since you take an interest in them"...

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.