Designs for the Decoration of Firearms
ca. 1797–1805
Medium
Pencil, ink, gray wash on paper
Dimensions
6 1/8 x 8 5/8 in. (15.6 x 21.9 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
2004.101.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Noël Boutet, the renowned French gunsmith and of the royal armory at Versailles (later the Manufacture de Versailles under Napoleon), created these intricate *Designs for the Decoration of Firearms* around1797–1805. This delicate drawing on paper, executed in pencil, ink, and wash, served as a preparatory study for embellishing luxury firearms—status symbols for the elite during the turbulent post-Revolutionary era. Measuring just 6⅛ × 8⅝ inches, it captures Boutet's mastery in blending functionality with opulence, reflecting the era's shift from aristocratic excess to Napoleonic grand...
About the Artist
Nicolas Noël Boutet · 1761–1833
French, Versailles and Paris, 1761–1833