Natural History - Massive Crinoid Plate. Devonian Period, circa 417-354 million years B.P. An impressive display containing multiple intact Scyphocrinus elegans specimens showing detailed crowns and stalks. 90.5 kg, 1.73 m (68 1/8 in.). From Erfoud, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco, North Africa. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. Crinoids are filter feeding sea animals, which attach themselves to the bottom of the ocean with a stalk. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Today they are referred to as ‘Sea Lilies’, and are virtually identical to their fossil relatives, making them living fossils.

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.