AN OFFICIAL OTTOMAN FIRMAN WITH THE TUGHRA OF SULTAN ABDUL HAMID II (R. 1876 - 1909) Ottoman Turkey, late 19th century Turkish manuscript on off-white stained paper, the document with eight gold lines of free-flowing diwani script, with three clusters of words in black ink on ll. 4, 5, and 8, beneath a gold tughra of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (r. 1876 - 1909), with further flourishing signatures in black to the right and upper left of the tughra, and an additional golden cartouche with commentary in a directional vertical format to the right-hand-side edge, mounted, glazed, and framed, 70.5cm x 40cm 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.