The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Writing table (Bureau plat)

Art Object

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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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Writing table (Bureau plat)

Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807, master 1764)

Date:: ca. 1780
Culture:: French
Medium:: Oak, veneered with mahogany, sycamore and holly; gilt bronze, leather
Dimensions:: 30-1/2 x 69-3/4 x 36-3/8 in. (77.5 x 177.2 x 92.4 cm)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1972
Accession Number:: 1972.284.6

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Signature: J.F. LELEU, JME (stamped beneath left-hand side rail toward back)
Provenance

W. Angerstein, Esq. ; Baroness Nellie Lisa Helles Burton (until 1954; sale, Christie's, London, April 29, 1954, lot 113) ; Viscount Ednam (until 1958; sale, Sotheby's, London, May 16, 1958, lot 145) ; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman (until 1972; to MMA)
See also
Who
Jean-François Leleu (2)
What
Metal (59,483)

Copper alloy (16,678)

Bronze (11,670)

Gilt (9,077)

Wood (7,727)

Leather (5,943)

Furniture (5,724)

Plate (2,673)

Woodwork (2,577)

Ormolu (1,683)

Oak (1,105)

Mahogany (979)

Tables (976)

Case furniture (870)

Desks (192)

Sycamore (92)

Holly (67)

Writing tables (41)

Writing desks (22)

Bureaux plats (4)

Plats (4)
Where
Europe (150,372)

France (49,614)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (67,128)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,228)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
France, 1600–1800 A.D.
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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Writing table (Bureau plat)

Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807, master 1764)

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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Writing table (Bureau plat)

Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807, master 1764)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store