A French plate from Boutiques Parisiennes du Premier Empire, published by Éditions Albert Morancé in Paris in the 1920s. The series records the elegant shopfronts of Napoleonic Paris, drawn from designs of the early 1800s. This one, plate 29, shows the façade of a gunsmith’s shop at No. 251 rue Saint-Honoré, with Fabrique d’Armes lettered in gold across the frieze. Three arched doors of golden faux wood are crossed with green saltire panels and topped by a pediment carved with trophies of arms. They are flanked by windows over oxblood faux marble and framed by pillars painted to look like verde antico. The colors were applied by hand with stencils, a technique called pochoir that gives the plates their soft, painterly finish. It is set in a gilt frame with carved scroll corners, and it is lovely in a study, a library, or hung with other architectural prints.
- Title: Façade d’une boutique d’Armurier, rue St. Honoré, No. 251
- Publisher: Éditions Albert Morancé, Paris
- Series: Boutiques Parisiennes du Premier Empire, plate 29
- Age: Early 20th century
- Medium: Print with hand-applied pochoir color
- Details: Empire shopfront with arched doors, pediment of trophies, faux marble and faux wood finishes; gilt frame with carved scroll corners, glazed
- Dimensions: 12.5"W × 10.5"H
Condition: Good condition with light toning to the paper, and small wear to the gilt on the frame
