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) 10702 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16956 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3033 views

Related Content

Pair of Standing Nude Male Figures Demonstrating the Principles of Contrapposto According to Michelangelo and Phidias

Pair of Standing Nude Male Figures Demonstrating the Principles of Contrapposto According to Michelangelo and Phidias

Brother and Sister (Le frère et la soeur)

Brother and Sister (Le frère et la soeur)

Honoré de Balzac

Honoré de Balzac

Triton and Nereid

Triton and Nereid

Bacchante (Grapes or Autumn)

Bacchante (Grapes or Autumn)

Browse current and upcoming exhibitions and events.

Exhibitions:

Events:

Events:

Fallen caryatid carrying an urn

Auguste Rodin  (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

Date:
first modeled 1883
Culture:
French
Medium:
Cast terracotta
Dimensions:
H. 16 in. (40.6 cm.)
Classification:
Sculpture
Credit Line:
Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910
Accession Number:
12.13.2

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 800

120006490

Close