The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Desk (Bonheur du jour)

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
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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3001 views

Desk (Bonheur du jour)

Attributed to Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

Factory:: Porcelain plaques by Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present)
Decorator:: Plaques decorated by Jean-Jacques Pierre the Younger (active 1763–1800)
Decorator:: and Guillaume Noël (active 1755–1807)
Decorator:: and Denis Levé (active 1754–93, 1795–1805)
Date:: ca. 1769
Culture:: French
Medium:: Oak, mahogany, tulipwood, sycamore, ebony, box and harewood, gilt-bronze mounts, soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions:: H. 32-1/4 in. (81.9 cm); W. 26-1/4 in. (66.7 cm); D. 15-3/4 in. (40.0 cm.)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number:: 1982.60.54

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 539

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Desk (Bonheur du jour)

Attributed to Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Desk (Bonheur du jour)

Attributed to Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store