Design for the Decoration of Firearms 1772 - 1830

Nicolas Noël Boutet made this ink drawing for the decoration of firearms, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Boutet was the director of the state arms factory in Versailles, France, after the French Revolution. The drawing shows an elaborate floral design, typical of the Neoclassical style popular at the time, intended to be engraved on a gun. It reflects the era’s fascination with luxury goods, and how even weapons of war were seen as opportunities for artistic expression and displays of wealth. As such, we can see firearms as extensions of elite culture. France at this time was undergoing significant political upheaval. The French Revolution sought to overthrow the aristocracy, yet, paradoxically, artists like Boutet continued to cater to elite tastes, even as the definition of who constituted the elite was being challenged. To fully understand this design, we might consult arms and armor catalogs, design pattern books, and historical records of the Versailles factory. Only then can we appreciate how art is inextricably linked to social and institutional contexts.