William Henry Knight, British 1823-1863- The school room; oil on paper laid down on panel, signed 'W.H. Knight.' (lower left), 26.1 x 34.5 cm. Provenance: with the Fine Art Society, London. Private Collection, UK. Exhibited: The Fine Art Society, London, July 1956. Note: The present work is a typical composition by Knight, with the artist producing numerous versions of the same subject, as in his painting of 'The Village School', and 'The Naughty Pupil', which was offered at Sotheby's, London, on 29 April 2014 (lot 200). Knight's humorous street and interior scenes, often featuring mischievous children, reveal the influence of genre painters such as William Mulready (1786-1863).

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.