DAKSHINAKALI: THE HINDU GODDESS KALI STANDING ON SHIVA'S CORPSE Bengal School, Eastern India, second half 19th century Oil on canvas, the vertical-format composition depicting the four-armed Dakshinakali, the most popular form of the Hindu Goddess Kali worshipped in Bengal and Eastern Indian provinces, standing on Shiva's bare corpse on a tiger skin floor spread, surrounded by the severed heads of an antagonist demon rolling around the ground and forming a long garland worn around her chest and body, holding an eyed sickle in her upper left hand, symbolising the Devi's ability to see and eradicate all evils, set within red, ochre and blue rules, mounted, glazed and framed, 59cm x 49cm including the frame.

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.