The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Clock with Father Time

Art Object

Program Information

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

Program information

Discover the hidden features and intricate interior of this cabinet.

One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen's (1743–1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoration, mechanical complexity, and sheer size.

This cabinet, from Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Footage courtesy of VideoART GmbH and Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
(00:00:52)

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10652 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

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

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

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

Related Content

Girl in a straw bonnet

Girl in a straw bonnet

Musette, a Maltese dog

Musette, a Maltese dog

Leda and the Swan

Leda and the Swan

Browse current and upcoming exhibitions and events.

Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
May 24, 2013
Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
May 28, 2013
Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
May 29, 2013
Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
May 30, 2013
Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
May 31, 2013
Great Rooms: European Decorative Arts
June 4, 2013

Clock with Father Time

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French, Anizy-le-Château 1824–1887 Sèvres)

Maker:: Cabinetmaker: Guéret Frêres (1853–ca. 1900)
Maker:: Clockmakers: Cartier (French, founded Paris, 1847)
Maker:: Clockmaker: Vincenti et Cie (1831–1890)
Date:: 1863
Culture:: French (Paris)
Medium:: Walnut, glass, bronze, and steel
Dimensions:: 20-3/4 x 16-1/4 x 8 in. (52.7 x 41.3 x 20.3 cm)
Classification:: Horology
Credit Line:: Purchase, David T. Schiff Gift, 1991
Accession Number:: 1991.261

This artwork is not on display

120024159