The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Pair of salt spoons

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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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 18103 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3147 views

Pair of salt spoons

Date:: 1789
Culture:: French (Paris)
Medium:: Silver
Dimensions:: Each, L. 3-3/4 in. (9.5 cm.)
Classification:: Metalwork
Credit Line:: Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948
Accession Number:: 48.187.211, 212

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Marking: [1] Crowned fleur-de-lis, 2 grains de remède, first letter J, the rest illegible (unidentified maker's mark) [2] Foliate A with numeral 5 in circle, cross hatched border (Paris charge mark, 1789-92?) [3] Crowned P, 88 (Paris warden's mark, 1788-89) [4] Vine leaf with numeral 4, in circle (Paris discharge mark, 1789-92) [5] Boar's head (Paris restricted warranty mark for silver, 1838-79) Location of marks: All marks on back of each handle
See also
What
Metal (59,497)

Metalwork (14,681)

Silver (14,047)

Flatware (2,143)

Spoons (1,860)

Salt spoons (19)
Where
Europe (150,419)

France (49,644)

Paris (2,005)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (67,116)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,228)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
France, 1600–1800 A.D.
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