Design for the Decoration of Firearms
ca. 1797–1805
Medium
Pencil, ink, gray wash on paper
Dimensions
4 x 1 3/4 in. (10.2 x 4.5 cm)
Classification
Works on Paper-Drawings
Culture
French, Versailles
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Clay P. Bedford Gift, 2004
Accession Number
2004.101.68
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of Napoleonic-era craftsmanship with *Design for the Decoration ofarms* by Nicolas Noël Boutet, master gunsmith and director the royal Manufacture impériale d’armes de Versailles around 1797–1805. This delicate drawing, just 4 x 1¾ inches, captures Boutet’s vision for adorning luxury firearms—likely intricate engravings or inlays for gun stocks and barrels, blending martial utility with opulent artistry. Created amid France’s post-Revolutionary fervor and the rise of Napoleon, Boutet’s workshop at Versailles produced elite weapons for nobility and military leaders,...
About the Artist
Nicolas Noël Boutet · 1761–1833
French, Versailles and Paris, 1761–1833