The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

Hidden Doors and Secret Drawers: Furniture by the Roentgens

Wolfram Koeppe, the Marina Kellen French Curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses the intricate furniture designs created by Abraham and David Roentgen. The father-and-son team created innovative designs that were combined with intriguing mechanical devices to revolutionize traditional French and English furniture types.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens, on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013.

The exhibition and catalogue are made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

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

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

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

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

Beaker and saucer

Factory: possibly Chantilly

Date:: 18th century
Culture:: French (Chantilly) (?)
Medium:: Tin-glazed soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions:: Cup (a): H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) Saucer (b): Diam. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm.)
Classification:: Ceramics
Credit Line:: Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of Joan Bergère Drayton, 1966
Accession Number:: 66.163a, b

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Hidden Doors and Secret Drawers: Furniture by the Roentgens

Beaker and saucer

Factory: possibly Chantilly

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Hidden Doors and Secret Drawers: Furniture by the Roentgens

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Beaker and saucer

Factory: possibly Chantilly

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store