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Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

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Art Object
Program Information

Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

Program information

See how this desk converts into a dressing table.

When closed, this table may not seem like one of the most complex pieces of European furniture ever made. However, once opened, its concealed drawers and hidden features are exposed, and the entire piece transforms into a dressing table, orpoudreuse. Scholars believe it was commissioned as a wedding gift from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen (1743–1807) by Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony, to his bride in 1769.

This table, from Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Images courtesy of Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt.

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Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi)  (Italian, Mantua ca. 1460–1528 Gazzuolo)

Date:
ca. 1500–1505
Culture:
Italian, Mantua
Medium:
Bronze, partially gilt and silvered
Dimensions:
Overall (confirmed): H. 14 5/8 x W. 7 3/8 x D. 7 3/4 in. (37.1 x 18.7 x 19.7 cm); Alternate dimensions, positioned with legs and chest fully frontal (confirmed): W. 5 3/4 x D. 8 7/8 in. (14.6 x 22.5 cm)
Classification:
Sculpture
Credit Line:
Edith Perry Chapman Fund, 1955
Accession Number:
55.93

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 536

120017121

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