The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Virgin and Child in a niche

Art Object

Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

This finely crafted piece of furniture has a secret. Swing out a leg, adjust an arm, and voilà! Leaves unfold to reveal multiple configurations: a felt surface for card games, a game board for chess or checkers, a desk with a leather writing surface and book rest. Tug at a hidden latch, and a spring-driven backgammon board pops up.

The brainchild of German cabinetmaker David Roentgen (1743–1807), this sophisticated gaming table once graced the intimate interior of an aristocratic European home. The exquisite piece was not only convenient for entertaining guests, but it was also portable—its legs unscrew so it can easily be packed and moved.

This 3-D animation of the table demonstrates its different configurations and illuminates its concealed features, including drawers for tucking away personal items and compartments for storing game pieces.

See Collections to learn more about this table.

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

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

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10523 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16384 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3001 views

Virgin and Child in a niche

Luca della Robbia (Italian, 1399/1400–1482 Florence)

Date:: ca. 1460
Culture:: Italian, Florence
Medium:: Glazed terracotta with gilt and painted details
Dimensions:: Overall (confirmed): H. 18 5/8 x W. 15 1/4 x D. 3 1/2 in. (47.3 x 38.7 x 8.9 cm)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: Bequest of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1966
Accession Number:: 67.55.98

This artwork is not on display

Description

The arms in the corners may record a union of the Bartorelli and Baldi families of Florence.
Provenance

Émile Gavet , Paris (by 1894) ; Henry G. Marquand , New York (until d. 1902; sale, American Art Galleries, New York, January 30, 1903, no. 1198; sold to Bliss for $8,600); Mrs. George T. Bliss , New York (1903–d. 1924) ; her daughter, Susan Dwight Bliss , New York (1924–d. 1966; bequeathed to MMA)
See also
Who
Luca della Robbia (2)
What
Sculpture (24,350)

Clay (23,649)

Gilt (9,043)

Terracotta (8,373)

Painting (5,225)

Reliefs (3,153)

Glazing (3,020)
Where
Europe (148,586)

Italy (20,983)

Tuscany (1,162)

Florence (506)
When
A.D. 1400-1600 (20,545)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Florence and Central Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Virgin and Child in a niche

Luca della Robbia (Italian, 1399/1400–1482 Florence)

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Virgin and Child in a niche

Luca della Robbia (Italian, 1399/1400–1482 Florence)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store