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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Art Object
Program Information

Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Program information

This finely crafted piece of furniture has a secret. Swing out a leg, adjust an arm, and voilà! Leaves unfold to reveal multiple configurations: a felt surface for card games, a game board for chess or checkers, a desk with a leather writing surface and book rest. Tug at a hidden latch, and a spring-driven backgammon board pops up.

The brainchild of German cabinetmaker David Roentgen (1743–1807), this sophisticated gaming table once graced the intimate interior of an aristocratic European home. The exquisite piece was not only convenient for entertaining guests, but it was also portable—its legs unscrew so it can easily be packed and moved.

This 3-D animation of the table demonstrates its different configurations and illuminates its concealed features, including drawers for tucking away personal items and compartments for storing game pieces.

See Collections to learn more about this table.

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

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) 10613 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16640 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3015 views

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Side table

top by John Wildsmith  (active 1757–69)

Maker:
stand by John Mayhew (British, 1736–1811)
Date:
1759 (top), 1794 (base)
Culture:
British, London
Medium:
Carved and gilded pine; marbles, including rosso and nero antico, orange Veronese, yellow Siena, brown, gray, and white fleur de pêcher, black and gold Portor, orange and violet Spanish brocatello, and white Carrara, and hardstones, including gray and red granite, red and white jasper, pink quartz, porphyry, bloodstone, serpentine, golden and brown agate and onyx, and lapis lazuli
Dimensions:
Overall table frame: H. 37 x W. 60 1/4 x D. 31 1/8in. (94 x 153 x 79.1cm); Overall table top (Wt. confirmed): H. 1 7/16 x W. 61 5/8 x D. 33 in., 423lb. (3.7 x 156.5 x 83.8 cm, 191.8715kg)
Classification:
Woodwork
Credit Line:
Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1958
Accession Number:
58.75.130a, b

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 516

120017578

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