# Preparation of Gunpowder [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [BUTI, Lodovico]() - Date: 1551-1600 - Technique: Fresco with tempera and gold ## Commentary Adorned by grotesques borrowed or inspired from those of ancient Rome, Buti's frescoes in the Uffizi rooms once dedicated to arms and armour illustrate various aspects of military arts. Various artisans use different kinds of machinery to pound the ingredients for the explosive mixture to the desired fineness. In the last stage, the powder is sifted. It is a peaceable scene for such a deadly pursuit, but constant warfare provided steady work - as did the nobility's increasingly extravagant fireworks displays. ## Related artworks - [Forge with grotesques]() - [Optical Illusion with Portraits of Charles II and His Daughter Christine of Lorraine]() - [The Architect]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()