Cartel d'Alcôve and its console table, with Boulle marquetry decoration in the first part, made of engraved brass on red tortoiseshell backgrounds. It is adorned with a rich ormolu trim featuring foliage scrolls, gadroons, horns of plenty and female masks. It is crowned by a putti and features an eagle with outstretched wings embracing a snake. The bronze dial features twelve white enamel cartouches. The dial and mechanism are signed Charles de Beauvillain in Paris. Cité Maître, July 14, 1733. Paris. Regency period. H_84 cm W_31.5 cm D_16.5 cm Restoration. Bibliography : Les Ouvriers du Temps. Jean-Dominique Augarde. Antiquorum Editions - 1996

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.