The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

Discover the hidden features and intricate interior of this cabinet.

One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen's (1743–1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoration, mechanical complexity, and sheer size.

This cabinet, from Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Footage courtesy of VideoART GmbH and Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
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Cup and saucer

Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present)

Date:: ca. 1740
Culture:: German (Meissen)
Medium:: Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions:: Cup (.29): H. 2 in. (5.1 cm.); Diam. 3 in. (7.6 cm.) Saucer (.30): H. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm.); Diam. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm.)
Classification:: Ceramics
Credit Line:: The George B. McClellan Collection, Gift of Mrs. George B. McClellan, 1941
Accession Number:: 42.205.29, .30

This artwork is not on display

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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

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Cup and saucer

Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present)

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