The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Arms of Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere, reigned 1503

Art Object

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

Discover the hidden features and intricate interior of this cabinet.

One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen's (1743–1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoration, mechanical complexity, and sheer size.

This cabinet, from Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Footage courtesy of VideoART GmbH and Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Video/Audio (4)

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

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10652 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16792 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3020 views

Arms of Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere, reigned 1503–13)

Date:: early 16th century
Culture:: Italian
Medium:: Marble
Dimensions:: H. 44-1/2 in. (113 cm.); W. 27-1/2 in. (69.9 cm.)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund, 1918
Accession Number:: 18.70.32

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 503

Provenance

[ Stefano Bardini , until 1918; sale, American Art Galleries, New York, 1918, no. 398, to MMA ]
See also
What
Sculpture (24,350)

Arms (9,344)

Marble (2,128)
Where
Europe (148,586)

France (52,276)

Rouen (4,081)
When
A.D. 1400-1600 (20,545)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)