‡ A TWO HAND SWORD, EARLY 16TH CENTURY, PROBABLY SPANISH with straight double-edged lade of flattened-hexagonal section (the last 28.0 cm restored), stamped with a brief inscription with a short slender fuller on each face at the forte, long rectangular ricasso, formed with three grooves each filled with a chiselled design of scrolls and formed with a pair of short serpentine lugs, iron hilt comprising fluted écusson, a pair of straight faceted quillons with finely filed terminals each terminating in a spirally fluted knop (one slightly bent), knop-shaped pommel chiselled with conventional leaves, and wooden grip with later leather covering, 120.0 cm blade Provenance Howard M. Curtis (no. 444) A sword with a related hilt is preserved in the Wallace Collection (inv. no. A471).

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.