CORSAIRES. Manuscript entitled "Manuel pour le Capitaine d'un corsaire français". Late 18th or early 19th century. 9 pp. small folio on blue paper. Instructions for privateers, ending with "essential precautions". "[...] When American ships leaving or going to some enemy port have suspicious expeditions, it will be advisable to frighten them in order to extract the truth from them by telling them that those who are found to have false expeditions without admitting it before being convinced are punished in the most severe manner".

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.