The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (First State)

Art Object

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

The inventive talents of David Roentgen are evident in this exceptionally refined desk. The monogram "DR" inlaid beneath the keyhole on the lower drawer indicates the cabinetmaker's satisfaction with one of his most mechanically ingenuous creations: a single key inserted at different depths unlocks the center drawer, releases the rolltop, or releases the hidden side drawers; if a button is pressed on the underside of these drawers, each swings aside to reveal three other drawers. Above the rolltop, the rectangular structure consists of a single wide drawer. The artist's creativity is evident in the chinoiserie marquetry scenes, created by using minute pieces of naturally colored exotic woods that have a painterly effect.

See Collections to learn more about this desk.

This desk 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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Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (First State)

Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)

Date:: probably modeled ca. 1895–1910, cast in 1920
Culture:: French
Medium:: Bronze
Dimensions:: 18-1/4 x 7-3/8 x 8-1/2 in. (46.4 x 18.7 x 21.6 cm.)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number:: 29.100.376

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 814

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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (First State)

Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)

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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

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Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (First State)

Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)

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