Design for the Decoration of the Jaw of the Cock of a Firearm
ca. 1795–1805
Medium
Pencil, ink, gray wash on paper
Dimensions
1 x 1 in. (2.5 x 2.5 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
2004.101.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for the Decoration of the Jaw the Cock of a Fire*, comes from the workshop of Nicolas Noël Boutet the renowned French gunsmith and director of Manufacture impériale d' de Versailles around 1795–1805. During the Napoleonic, Boutet's atelier produced exquisite luxury firearms for the elite, blending functionality with opulent ornamentation. This tiny preparatory sketch (just 1 x 1 inch) captures intricate designs meant for the "jaw of the cock"—a precise component of the flintlock mechanism—highlighting how even the smallest parts of weapons were elevated to...
About the Artist
Nicolas Noël Boutet · 1761–1833
French, Versailles and Paris, 1761–1833