Nicolas-Noel Boutet (1761-1833) was trained by his father, a royal gunsmith, and secured his place in the upper echelon of French gunmakers by marrying the daughter of his father's partner which allowed him to become gunmaker-in-ordinary to King Louis XVI in 1788. He became the artistic director of the arms factory at Versailles in 1792 and then the head director in 1798. Under his direction, some of the finest pieces of firearms art ever crafted flowed from Versailles. Napoleon was so impressed by his work that he granted a concession to Boutet for arms for 18 years, and Boutet continued to work in Paris after the Second Bourbon Restoration. This dueling style pistol by Boutet and the artisans of Versailles was most likely made as part of a pair of "pistols of reward." Fine pistols of varying degrees of ornamentation were manufactured at Versailles in the early 1800s under First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte for presentation to French officers as rewards for their valor and performance on the battlefield, and the higher ranking officers receiving most elaborate pistols. It features a swamped octagonal barrel with finely grooved rifling, dual gold bands at the muzzle and breech, a blade front sight mounted in a very fine slot, "Boutet Directeur Artiste" signed on the upper left flat, "Manufacture a Versailles" on the upper right flat, octagonal "NB" monogram on top over another "NB" mark along with "BC" on the upper left and "LC" on the upper right all with gilding, gilt vent, and a fine notch rear sight at the breech. The bright lock has beautifully sculpted components and is signed "Boutet/Directeur Artiste." The upper tang and furniture are also finished bright, and only the lock screw plate and the screws are engraved. The stock has a finely checkered wrist with molding and a flared pommel. The ramrod has a light horn tip.

Very fine with 95% plus bright period refinished fire blue finish on the barrel along with nearly all of the gold aside from some minor loss mainly in the markings at the breech. The lock and furniture remain bright with light aging and minimal wear. The markings throughout remain crisp. The stock is fine and has crisp checkering, minor scrapes and dings, a very small tension crack on the left at the breech, and chip at the forend tip on the left. Mechanically excellent. Overall, a stunning pistol from Boutet during a very important period in French and European history.