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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Art Object
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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Program information

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.

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Hot milk jug (part of a miniature service)

After a painting by Thomas Stothard  (British, London 1755–1834 London)

Date:
ca. 1790
Culture:
Chinese
Medium:
Hard-paste porcelain
Dimensions:
H. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.)
Classification:
Ceramics
Credit Line:
Helena Woolworth McCann Collection, Gift of Winfield Foundation, 1951
Accession Number:
51.86.406

This artwork is not on display

120016535

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