Merry-Joseph BLONDEL (1781-1853) Allegorical female figure with a crown of ears of wheat (Ceres?) Pencil on blue paper, signed and annotated "Etude pour le plafond de la salle du mobiler XIXe au Louvre" lower right H_22 cm - W_18.5 cm (unframed, in a mount) Note: A student of Jean-Baptiste Regnault, he won the Prix de Rome in 1803 with a composition depicting "Aeneas carrying his father Anchises", and spent three years at the Villa Médicis in Rome. On his return to Paris, he embarked on a career as a decorator, winning numerous state commissions. In 1827 and 1828, he was commissioned to carry out major works at the Palais du Louvre, notably in the Galerie d'Apollon, the Grand Staircase, the Salle Henri II, and the former rooms of the Conseil d'État.

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.