The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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).

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Tazza

Pierre Platel (1664–1719, active England 1699–1719)

Date:: 1712–13
Culture:: British, London
Medium:: Silver, gilt
Dimensions:: Diam. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Classification:: Metalwork
Credit Line:: Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1983
Accession Number:: 1983.252.3

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription: On underside of foot: "A.D. and C.D. No 11"

Marking: [1] Britannia; [2] Lion's head erased; [3] Gothic R in pointed shield, London date letter for 1712-13; [4] PL fleur-de-lis below, mullet above, for Pierre Platel (incomplete strike) Location of marks: [1]-[4] on underside of tazza; [2] and [4] on outside edge of foot
Provenance

Douglas Dillon (until 1983; to MMA)
See also
Who
Pierre Platel (5)
What
Metal (59,364)

Metalwork (14,716)

Silver (14,056)

Gilt (9,043)

Drinking vessels (6,032)

Cups (3,861)

Tazzas (107)
Where
Europe (148,586)

United Kingdom (25,557)

England (9,102)

London (2,006)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,179)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Great Britain and Ireland, 1600–1800 A.D.

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Tazza

Pierre Platel (1664–1719, active England 1699–1719)

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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Tazza

Pierre Platel (1664–1719, active England 1699–1719)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store