The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Two-handled standing cup

Art Object

Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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).

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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
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Two-handled standing cup

Charles Townsend (active 1770–85)

Date:: 1771
Culture:: Irish (Dublin)
Medium:: Silver
Dimensions:: H. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)
Classification:: Metalwork
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund, 1907
Accession Number:: 07.64.4

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription: (Engraved on bottom): Geo III 1769 02 13-17

Marking: [1] Hibernia; [2] crowned harp (Dublin mark); [3] Y in a shield (Dublin date letter for 1771); [4] C T in rectangle (maker's mark for Charles Townsend) Location of marks: All repeated near the handles.
See also
Who
Charles Townsend (2)
What
Metal (59,364)

Metalwork (14,716)

Silver (14,056)

Drinking vessels (6,032)

Cups (3,861)

Standing cups (158)
Where
Europe (148,586)

Republic of Ireland (610)

Dublin (79)

Leinster (79)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,179)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Great Britain and Ireland, 1600–1800 A.D.

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Two-handled standing cup

Charles Townsend (active 1770–85)

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Two-handled standing cup

Charles Townsend (active 1770–85)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store