France

On December 8 Artcurial will hold a sale titled Balthus à Chassy devoted to around 150 drawings, watercolours and paintings by Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, known as Balthus.

With much of Europe retreating once again into lockdown, two French galleries are offering a window on the world with a retrospective of the well-travelled artist Jacques Martin-Ferrières (1893-1972).

This leather-soled silk and kid leather shoe decorated with pleated ribbons is inscribed in pen on the heel 'Soulier de Marie-Antoinette donné à M.de Voisey'.

Artcurial’s latest staging of its biannual sales of Old Master and 19th century paintings, drawings and sculpture will take place on November 18 as a live, behind-closed-doors auction at the firm’s Paris rooms.

Paris auction centre Hôtel Drouot has been forced to close its premises after French president Emmanuel Macron announced a second national lockdown.

Paris auction group Hôtel Drouot has reorganised its operations and will soon allow non-shareholder businesses to operate from its premises.

A rare scent bottle designed by one of the leading figures in the French Art Nouveau movement was the highlight of a sale of perfume bottles and jewellery held by Copages (23% buyer’s premium) at Drouot in Paris.

A number of six-figure prices for rare and interesting items were achieved when French auction house Rouillac (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) staged its 32nd Garden Party sale.

Pictured here is one of a pair of Art Deco consoles by Gilbert Poillerat (1902-88) from c.1938 that will feature in a sale of 20th century Decorative Arts to be held by Tajan in its Paris rooms on November 17.

A number of strong results for works by modern Vietnamese painters have been achieved in recent weeks in salerooms across France.

This Orientalist painting, 'Ecole coranique' by Etienne Dinet (1861-1929), will be offered by Jack-Philippe Ruellan in a sale in Vannes on November 7.

Two Old Master oil on panel paintings by 17th century Dutch artists featuring very different subjects were best-sellers in large mixed-discipline sales held in Paris and Monaco.

Pre-emption, the right of a French museum or institution to step in at the fall of the gavel to claim a lot at auctions staged in France for purchase at the hammer price, is a common occurence in such sales.

At Ivoire Nantes’ (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) auction in the French city on September 29, this 2ft 1in x 3ft (64 x 91cm) signed pastel by Louise Abbemé (1858-1927), showing the actress Sarah Bernhardt seated, sold for €8200 (£7455).

This 21½in (55cm) high Qianlong famille rose vase and stand sold for €3.7m (£3.3m) at the Drouot in Paris last month.

Furniture ensemble sold in French auction had been in the same family since being produced

A collection of bicycles spanning a century from 1892-1982, Tour de France jerseys and other sporting memorabilia will be offered for sale by Ivoire Chartres in the French city on October 17.