The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Prince Imperial with his Dog Nero

Art Object

Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

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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The Prince Imperial with his Dog Nero

Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present)

Designer:: Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, Valenciennes 1827–1875 Courbevoie)
Modeler:: Henri Robert
Date:: 1912
Culture:: French, Sèvres
Medium:: Hard-paste biscuit porcelain
Dimensions:: H. with stand 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.)
Classification:: Ceramics
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund, 1972
Accession Number:: 1972.79

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 556

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Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

The Prince Imperial with his Dog Nero

Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present)

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Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

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The Prince Imperial with his Dog Nero

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