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Lot 276:Pair of Boutet Flintlock Dueling/Officer's Pistols

September 11th, 2020|Rock Island, IL

Lot 276:Pair of Boutet Flintlock Dueling/Officer's Pistols

September 11th, 2020|Rock Island, IL

Price Realized:

Estimated Price$25,000 - $40,000

A) Boutet Flintlock Pistol

Nicolas-Noël Boutet (1761-1833) was gunmaker-in-ordinary to King Louis XVI in 1788 and became the artistic director of the arms factory at Versailles in 1792 and then its head director in 1798. Under his direction, some of the finest "de luxe" firearms ever made flowed from Versailles and were presented to military officers, politicians, and foreign dignitaries during Napoleon's reign. These early 19th century pistols have a swamped, semi-octagon (round bottom) barrel marked "Boutet Directeur Artiste" on top and "L.C.", "N.B", and "L.C" at the breech along with "D.B" on the bottom left, fine poly-groove rifling, dovetailed blade and notch sights, gold accented floral engraving at the breech, stars and stippled patterns along much of the visible surfaces, a pair of gold bands at the muzzle, and an oval gold vent liner. There are ". ." assembly markings repeated at multiple points at the breech and inside the forend of the first pistol. The bright barrel tang and furniture have border and floral engraving. The lock is marked "MANUFRE/AVERSAILLES" and has a gold lined pan and a frizzen spring roller. The trigger guard has a spur, and the set trigger is adjustable. The wrist is checkered and has carved borders, and the lower edge of the pommel is also carved with a floral border.

Rating definitionFine with most of the light blue finish and 90% gold remaining on the barrel along with a few spots of isolated pitting near the vent, abrasive marks on muzzle, mostly bright polished furniture, some minor oxidation, crisp engraving and markings, epoxy repair visible inside the forend visible only with the barrel dismounted, minor wear on the refinished stock with otherwise crisp checkering, some flaking along the carving at the edge of the pommel, and general mild age and storage related wear. The set trigger needs some adjustments; otherwise mechanically excellent.

Details

ManufacturerBoutet

Modelflintlock

TypePistol

ClassAntique

Barrel9 1/2 inch semi-octagon

Finishblue/gold/bright

Stockwalnut

Item LocationRock Island, IL

Catalog page244

B) Boutet Flintlock Pistol

See "A."

Rating definitionFine with distinct engraving, markings, and stippling, 90% gold and fading blue remaining on the barrel; mostly bright polished lock and furniture, some minor oxidation, and general minor wear from age and storage. The refinished stock is good and has an epoxy repair inside the forend visible only if the barrel is dismounted, a repaired crack in the wrist near the pommel, otherwise crisp checkering, a hairline tension crack at the rear lock screw on the left flat, and light scratches and marks. The cock catches on the half-cock notch if the set trigger is used, but it is otherwise mechanically fine. This is a very attractive pair of French Empire pistols from Boutet and the Versailles Manufactory. Provenance: Dr. Gerald Klaz collection.