Mathurin MEHEUT (Lamballe, 1882 - Paris, 1958), painter for the French Navy in 1921. "En Sentinelle devant Tilloi / ARRAS. March 15, 1915". Watercolor signed, located and dated lower right. Annotated by the artist lower left: "Quesnel / tué à Roclincourt / Mai 15". Height: 40.5 cm. Width : 28 cm. Corporal Méheut represented Eugène Auguste Quesnel, 2nd class in the same regiment as himself: the 136th Infantry. The emotion that emanates from this large watercolor is heightened tenfold by the terrible annotation he affixed to it two months later... Quesnel was killed on May 30, 1915 at Roclincourt (Source: French Ministry of the Army database).

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.