Alexandre Joseph Paillet was a Paris based auctioneer, merchant-expert and art dealer. In 1771 he joined the Académie de Saint-Luc. He conducted his business in the Hôtel d'Aligrre, at rue Saint-Honoré from 1775 onwards. Paillet was one of the major figures of the Parisian art market. He bought artworks for Louis XVI (1754-1793), the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. Alexandre Joseph Paillet led about 145 auctions between 1774 and 1793.