The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Set of three armchairs (part of a set)

Art Object

Program Information

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

Program information

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

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
(00:00:52)

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10613 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16640 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3015 views

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Set of three armchairs (part of a set)

Georges Jacob (1739–1814, master 1765)

Date:: ca. 1780–90
Culture:: French (Paris)
Medium:: Walnut, gilded
Dimensions:: Each 36-1/8 x 23 x 20-3/4 in. (91.8 x 58.4 x 52.7 cm)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: Gift of Ann Payne Blumenthal, 1943
Accession Number:: 43.163.14–.16

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Marking: I B (stamped, four times on flat wood under seat rails and once on inside of each back leg) - alternate mark of George Jacob.
Provenance

Sir Richard Wallace (until 1902) ; George and Florence Blumenthal ; Ann Payne Blumenthal (until 1943; to MMA)
See also
Who
Georges Jacob (31)
What
Gilt (9,043)

Wood (7,651)

Furniture (5,725)

Woodwork (2,582)

Seating furniture (1,792)

Chairs (1,486)

Walnut (909)

Armchairs (523)
Where
Europe (148,586)

France (52,276)

Paris (2,025)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,179)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
France, 1600–1800 A.D.

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