[Travel - Navy]. VIAL DU CLAIRBOIS (Honoré-Sébastien). Traité élémentaire de la construction des vaisseaux, à l'usage des élèves de la marine, composé & publié, d'après les ordres de Monseigneur le Maréchal de Castries, Ministre & Secrétaire d'État au Département de la Marine. Paris, chez Clouzier, 1787. In-4°, marbled calf, spine decorated, red edges (period binding). Intended for students, the author describes with precision the different parts of the ship including the pegging, the operation of launching it into the water or the theory of naval architecture... Decorated with 20 DEPLIANT PLATES, engraved by Benard. Some foxing, creased boards, damaged covers (Chadenat, 203 - Polak, 9434).

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.