Leakey, James, 1775 Exeter - 1865, oil on panel, "Study of a Lady", portrait of a wealthy English lady in elaborate three-quarter length dress in an interior, in her right hand she holds a letter while leaning on the back of a chair with her left arm, the lady is staged by the artist in front of a red velvet curtain according to the traditional distribution of roles, indicating her domestic and family position, men, on the other hand, were usually depicted in their worldly position in front of a landscape view, adhesive label on the reverse with artist's name and title, James Leakey was a British portrait painter in the style of fine painting, small portrait format, 26.5 cm x 21 cm, in a gold frame with decorative molding and acanthus leaf details

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.