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Art Object

The Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

See how this desk converts into a dressing table.

When closed, this table may not seem like one of the most complex pieces of European furniture ever made. However, once opened, its concealed drawers and hidden features are exposed, and the entire piece transforms into a dressing table, orpoudreuse. Scholars believe it was commissioned as a wedding gift from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen (1743–1807) by Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony, to his bride in 1769.

This table, from Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Images courtesy of Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt.

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Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)

Date:: probably modeled ca. 1883–90, cast in 1920
Culture:: French
Medium:: Bronze
Dimensions:: 7-1/8 x 10-3/4 x 3-1/4 in. (18.1 x 27.3 x 8.3 cm.)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number:: 29.100.430

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 814

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The Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

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Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)

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