MAGNIFICENT, FINE AND RARE CASED FRENCH SET OF EXQUISITE BOUTET FLINTLOCK PISTOLS.

Revised: 3/22/2010

MAGNIFICENT, FINE AND RARE CASED FRENCH SET OF EXQUISITE BOUTET FLINTLOCK PISTOLS. SN NSN. Cal. approx 48. 12-3/4″ swamped oct bbls with fixed rear sights and tiny dove-tailed pin front sights. Rear 2-1/2″ of the top three flats are elaborately gold inlaid with spectacular raised garlands of flowers and geometric patterns with four touch marks/cartouches. Top flats toward the rear ends have rectangular cartouches “NB” (Noel Boutet’s personal cartouche 1805-1814), and forward on the top flats are small octagonal touch marks of intertwined initials “NB”, also the personal cartouche of Noel Boutet. Right top flats are marked “LC” (Liege variation for bbl proofing) and left top flats have rectangular cartouches “BC” (mark is unknown, but frequently appears on Boutet pistols). Exposed portions of the bbls are incredibly finely hand-matted. Top flats are engraved in a panel in period script “Boutet Directeur Artiste / Manufacture ‘a Versailles”. Edges are inlaid in gold wire with very fine punch dots, which borders also bracket the inscriptions. Muzzle ends of the bbls are inlaid in raised engraved gold bands. Lock plates are about 4-1/2″ long, delicate and slightly curved with round tails that have tiny ball-shaped teats. Rear portion of the lock plates are stepped with scalloped edges and raised diamond patterns. Hammers are extremely delicate goose neck-shaped with plain top jaws, scalloped and shielded pans with bridled roller frizzens. Front faceted faces of the frizzens are beautifully engraved. Lock plates are engraved on one pistol in period script “Boutet / Directeur Artiste” and the other lock plate “Manuf’re / Versailles”. Touch holes are gold ovals. Both hammers have old expert repaired breaks that are barely discernible. Mounted in very nicely figured full-length walnut stocks with burnished steel furniture and inlays. Lock plates and hammers are also burnished steel. Stocks have raised side panels with modified tear drops that have raised, carved leaf patterns around the front edges. Left side panels are identically inlaid with two mythical winged dragons and wonderfully detailed lock screw escutcheons that have delicate foliate and geometric patterns. Bottoms of the stocks are identically inlaid with spectacular winged dog-shaped demons with elaborate foliate patterned wreaths over their heads that have diamond patterned centers. Also on the forestocks are four delicately engraved leaf pattern inlays. Trigger guards are extremely elaborate with deep-relief engraved oak leaf and foliate patterns on the finials and foliate and floral relief-engraved trigger bows on the front edges which lead into faceted posts. Main body of the trigger bows and lower tangs are undecorated with raised lined borders. Forestocks step down into flat bottomed panels that contain two decorative barrel-shaped guides that have extremely fine knurled raised edges. The nose pipes have matching barrel-shaped guides with a deep flared transition terminating in deep engraved oak leaf patterns. Guides contain their orig ebony ramrods with threaded brass tips and ivory caps with burnished steel tips. Forward sides of the forestocks are inlaid with burnished steel delicate running foliate vine and flower inlays. Backstraps of the stocks have relief-carved channels bordered by tiny silver pins and a raised carved center pattern of acanthus leaves. Top tangs are stepped and beautifully engraved in delicate foliate, floral and geometric patterns. Top sides of the wrist have delicate foliate and floral steel inlays with the central motif a spider’s web. Grips are beautifully curved with incredibly fine checkering, completely bordered by the tiny silver tacks. Bottom sides of the grips have half-round panels inlaid with engraved spider web pattern inlays. Butt caps are oval with relief-carved, egg-shaped and foliate edge patterns with center panels having foliate relief-engraved edges and empty oval center panels. All of the stock inlays, trigger guards, lock plates and hammers are burnished steel. Stocks have raised carving around the trigger guards and nose pipes with raised, carved foliate patterns on each side of the bbl channels and incredible raised dot patterns down the sides of the ramrod tables. Tips of the forestocks have deep-relief carved leaf and grape cluster patterns. Accompanied by their orig mahogany veneered casing, 19-1/2″ long x 12-1/8″ wide x 4″ deep with mortised brass lock in the front that has a shield-shaped escutcheon and thumb panel in the front of the lid, with felt covered bottom. Interior is purple velvet lined with gold galoon trim, French-fitted in the bottom for the pistols and all orig tools and implements, consisting of an elaborate burnished steel single-ball mold with sprue cutter, brass-trimmed horn flask with plunger spout, engraved around the collar in period script “Boutet Directeur Artiste Manuf’re d Versailles”, an ebony and rosewood mallet with incredibly delicate handle, a rosewood and brass bullet starter with mushroom head and two rosewood and brass ramrods. There is also a tiny and delicate rosewood-handled hammer with burnished steel head, a rosewood handled three position turn screw, an all steel T-handle cleaning rod with swelled, slotted end, an octagonal burnished steel oil bottle, a burnishes steel flash hole pick and a burnished steel and brass worm. Left rear covered compartment contains cast lead balls and patches. Right front covered compartment contains a hand-written note on old yellowed paper with a list of previous owners and “Acquired by H. H. Thomas Nov. 1990”. He also lists two books where these pistols are listed. One is The Age of Firearms, Robert Held and Collecting Dueling Pistols, W. Keith Neal. This is undoubtedly one of the finest and most complete sets of Boutet pistols to be offered on the market in recent history. PROVENANCE: From the H. H. Thomas Collection; Keith Neal Collection (Great Britain); Russell Aitken Collection (New York); Marshall Frederick Collection (noted sculptor listed in “Who’s Who” in American art, (Birmingham, Michigan); Peter Finer. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbls retain most of their fine satin finish, with strong, complete bright gold. Stocks are sound with a few minor tiny nicks and scratches and retain a wonderful oil finish. Mechanics are fine. Burnished steel parts are all bright and clean with no visible surface oxidation. Bright shiny bores. 4-36647 DGT5 (250,000-500,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2553	$437,000.00	Revised: 3/22/2010 MAGNIFICENT, FINE AND RARE CASED FRENCH SET OF EXQUISITE BOUTET FLINTLOCK PISTOLS. SN NSN. Cal. approx 48. 12-3/4″ swamped oct bbls with fixed rear sights and tiny dove-tailed pin front sights. Rear 2-1/2″ of the top three flats are elaborately gold inlaid with spectacular raised garlands of flowers and geometric patterns with four touch marks/cartouches. Top flats toward the rear ends have rectangular cartouches “NB” (Noel Boutet’s personal cartouche 1805-1814), and forward on the top flats are small octagonal touch marks of intertwined initials “NB”, also the personal cartouche of Noel Boutet. Right top flats are marked “LC” (Liege variation for bbl proofing) and left top flats have rectangular cartouches “BC” (mark is unknown, but frequently appears on Boutet pistols). Exposed portions of the bbls are incredibly finely hand-matted. Top flats are engraved in a panel in period script “Boutet Directeur Artiste / Manufacture ‘a Versailles”. Edges are inlaid in gold wire with very fine punch dots, which borders also bracket the inscriptions. Muzzle ends of the bbls are inlaid in raised engraved gold bands. Lock plates are about 4-1/2″ long, delicate and slightly curved with round tails that have tiny ball-shaped teats. Rear portion of the lock plates are stepped with scalloped edges and raised diamond patterns. Hammers are extremely delicate goose neck-shaped with plain top jaws, scalloped and shielded pans with bridled roller frizzens. Front faceted faces of the frizzens are beautifully engraved. Lock plates are engraved on one pistol in period script “Boutet / Directeur Artiste” and the other lock plate “Manuf’re / Versailles”. Touch holes are gold ovals. Both hammers have old expert repaired breaks that are barely discernible. Mounted in very nicely figured full-length walnut stocks with burnished steel furniture and inlays. Lock plates and hammers are also burnished steel. Stocks have raised side panels with modified tear drops that have raised, carved leaf patterns around the front edges. Left side panels are identically inlaid with two mythical winged dragons and wonderfully detailed lock screw escutcheons that have delicate foliate and geometric patterns. Bottoms of the stocks are identically inlaid with spectacular winged dog-shaped demons with elaborate foliate patterned wreaths over their heads that have diamond patterned centers. Also on the forestocks are four delicately engraved leaf pattern inlays. Trigger guards are extremely elaborate with deep-relief engraved oak leaf and foliate patterns on the finials and foliate and floral relief-engraved trigger bows on the front edges which lead into faceted posts. Main body of the trigger bows and lower tangs are undecorated with raised lined borders. Forestocks step down into flat bottomed panels that contain two decorative barrel-shaped guides that have extremely fine knurled raised edges. The nose pipes have matching barrel-shaped guides with a deep flared transition terminating in deep engraved oak leaf patterns. Guides contain their orig ebony ramrods with threaded brass tips and ivory caps with burnished steel tips. Forward sides of the forestocks are inlaid with burnished steel delicate running foliate vine and flower inlays. Backstraps of the stocks have relief-carved channels bordered by tiny silver pins and a raised carved center pattern of acanthus leaves. Top tangs are stepped and beautifully engraved in delicate foliate, floral and geometric patterns. Top sides of the wrist have delicate foliate and floral steel inlays with the central motif a spider’s web. Grips are beautifully curved with incredibly fine checkering, completely bordered by the tiny silver tacks. Bottom sides of the grips have half-round panels inlaid with engraved spider web pattern inlays. Butt caps are oval with relief-carved, egg-shaped and foliate edge patterns with center panels having foliate relief-engraved edges and empty oval center panels. All of the stock inlays, trigger guards, lock plates and hammers are burnished steel. Stocks have raised carving around the trigger guards and nose pipes with raised, carved foliate patterns on each side of the bbl channels and incredible raised dot patterns down the sides of the ramrod tables. Tips of the forestocks have deep-relief carved leaf and grape cluster patterns. Accompanied by their orig mahogany veneered casing, 19-1/2″ long x 12-1/8″ wide x 4″ deep with mortised brass lock in the front that has a shield-shaped escutcheon and thumb panel in the front of the lid, with felt covered bottom. Interior is purple velvet lined with gold galoon trim, French-fitted in the bottom for the pistols and all orig tools and implements, consisting of an elaborate burnished steel single-ball mold with sprue cutter, brass-trimmed horn flask with plunger spout, engraved around the collar in period script “Boutet Directeur Artiste Manuf’re d Versailles”, an ebony and rosewood mallet with incredibly delicate handle, a rosewood and brass bullet starter with mushroom head and two rosewood and brass ramrods. There is also a tiny and delicate rosewood-handled hammer with burnished steel head, a rosewood handled three position turn screw, an all steel T-handle cleaning rod with swelled, slotted end, an octagonal burnished steel oil bottle, a burnishes steel flash hole pick and a burnished steel and brass worm. Left rear covered compartment contains cast lead balls and patches. Right front covered compartment contains a hand-written note on old yellowed paper with a list of previous owners and “Acquired by H. H. Thomas Nov. 1990”. He also lists two books where these pistols are listed. One is The Age of Firearms, Robert Held and Collecting Dueling Pistols, W. Keith Neal. This is undoubtedly one of the finest and most complete sets of Boutet pistols to be offered on the market in recent history. PROVENANCE: From the H. H. Thomas Collection; Keith Neal Collection (Great Britain); Russell Aitken Collection (New York); Marshall Frederick Collection (noted sculptor listed in “Who’s Who” in American art, (Birmingham, Michigan); Peter Finer. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbls retain most of their fine satin finish, with strong, complete bright gold. Stocks are sound with a few minor tiny nicks and scratches and retain a wonderful oil finish. Mechanics are fine. Burnished steel parts are all bright and clean with no visible surface oxidation. Bright shiny bores. 4-36647 DGT5 (250,000-500,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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