The Engineer of Iron and Precision Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval was not a painter, but a French artillery officer and engineer. His hands worked with bronze, iron, and the heavy mathematics of ballistics rather than brushes or pigments. Born in Amiens, France, in 1715, his life followed the rigid lines of military service and scientific inquiry. He entered the royal artillery as a volunteer in 1732, moving through the ranks fro…