Search the collections

Videos (3)
Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Close

<p>Please enable flash to view this media. <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/">Download the flash player.</a></p>

Please enable flash to view this media. Download the flash player.

Art Object
Program Information

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Program information

Discover the secret compartments of this writing table and see how it can be transformed into a private altar.

Perhaps the most exquisite and technically refined piece from German cabinetmaker Abraham Roentgen (1711–1793), this desk was made for his premier patron, the Catholic official Johann Philipp von Walderdorff. Its interior holds a multitude of drawers, panels, and compartments, in addition to sophisticated mechanical fittings that safeguard the elector’s privacy.

This writing table from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013). Learn more about the table: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/BK-16676/bureau-op-s-vormige-poten-versierd-met-marqueterie.

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
(00:00:52)

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10549 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16461 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3008 views

Related Content

Aeneas Departs from Carthage

Aeneas Departs from Carthage

The Trojans Defend Their City; They Kill Androgeos

The Trojans Defend Their City; They Kill Androgeos

Aeneas Builds a Fleet Near Antandrus, at the Foot of Mount Ida

Aeneas Builds a Fleet Near Antandrus, at the Foot of Mount Ida

Plaque (one of a series)

Plaque (one of a series)

Juno, Seated on a Golden Throne, Asks Alecto to Confuse the Trojans

Juno, Seated on a Golden Throne, Asks Alecto to Confuse the Trojans

Browse current and upcoming exhibitions and events.

Exhibitions:

Events:

Events:

Aeneas Erects a Tomb to his Nurse, Caieta, and Flees the Country of Circe

Master of the Aeneid  (active ca. 1530–40)

Date:
probably ca. 1530–35
Culture:
French (Limoges)
Medium:
Painted enamel on copper, partly gilt
Dimensions:
7 3/4 x 8 1/2 in. (19.7 x 21.6 cm)
Classification:
Enamels
Credit Line:
Gift of Coudert Brothers, 1888
Accession Number:
88.3.85

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 544

120001367

Close