The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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.

Video/Audio (4)

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
(00:01:00) 3147 views

Cup and saucer

Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present)

Date:: ca. 1730
Culture:: German (Meissen)
Medium:: Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions:: Cup (.105): H. 2 in. (5.1 cm.); Diam. 3 in. (7.6 cm.) Saucer (.106): H. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm.); Diam. 5 1/2 in. (14.0 cm.)
Classification:: Ceramics
Credit Line:: The George B. McClellan Collection, Gift of Mrs. George B. McClellan, 1941
Accession Number:: 42.205.105, .106

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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present)

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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Cup and saucer

Meissen Manufactory (German, 1710–present)

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