PASTILLES VALDA "Pour vous préserver - Pour vous soigner" (To protect yourself - To care for yourself) Advertising automaton in sheet steel, wood, metal and print featuring an elephant holding a box of Valda lozenges in its trunk and carrying its mahout and a large shipment of Valda lozenges on its back. An electric motor moves the animal's legs, ears and trunk. The back plate is marked "PROPRIETE DES ETABLISSEMENT PASTIVAL. Modèle déposé sous le n° 12.468/21-4-33". Wooden structure marked "110 130 V". Modern work, circa 1930 H. 86 x W. 80.5 x D. 20 Cm In working order, wear, oxidation, dents and restorations To be compared with a model in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, under inventory number 2017.11.1 PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: this lot will be sold at the Hôtel Drouot warehouse (paying service).

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.