The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Automaton in the form of a chariot pushed by a Chinese attendant and set with a clock

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) 10652 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16792 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3020 views

Automaton in the form of a chariot pushed by a Chinese attendant and set with a clock

James Cox (ca. 1723–1800)

Date:: 1766
Culture:: British, London
Medium:: Case: gold, with diamonds and paste jewels set in silver, and pearls; Dial: while enamel; Movement: brass, partly gilded, and steel, wheel balance and cock of silver set with paste jewels
Dimensions:: H. 10 in. (25.4 cm)
Classification:: Metalwork
Credit Line:: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number:: 1982.60.137

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 540

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Hidden Doors and Secret Drawers: Furniture by the Roentgens

Automaton in the form of a chariot pushed by a Chinese attendant and set with a clock

James Cox (ca. 1723–1800)

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Hidden Doors and Secret Drawers: Furniture by the Roentgens

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Automaton in the form of a chariot pushed by a Chinese attendant and set with a clock

James Cox (ca. 1723–1800)

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Met Store