Design for the Decoration of the Surround of the Barrel Flat and Rear Sight of a Firearm
ca. 1797–1805
Medium
Pencil, ink, gray wash on paper
Dimensions
4 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. (10.5 x 8.9 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
2004.101.44
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing by Nicolas Noël Boutet captures a preparatory design for the ornate decoration of a firearm’s barrel flat and rear sight. Created in Versailles between 1797 and 1805, the small sheet—measuring just over four by three inches—reflects the refined tastes of French arms production during a period of political transition. Boutet, working at the heart of French craftsmanship, used such designs to guide the embellishment of weapons intended for distinguished patrons. Executed in pencil, ink, and gray wash, the drawing highlights the artist’s precise technique for rendering intr...
About the Artist
Nicolas Noël Boutet · 1761–1833
French, Versailles and Paris, 1761–1833