The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

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
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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
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Louis XIV

Medalist: Michel Molart (1641–1713)

Date:: 1643
Culture:: French
Medium:: Bronze
Dimensions:: Diam. 2 7/16 in. (62 mm.)
Classification:: Medals and Plaquettes
Credit Line:: Gift of David and Constance Yates, in memory of Victoria Blumka Nasatir Goldberg, 1994
Accession Number:: 1994.356

This artwork is not on display

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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

Louis XIV

Medalist: Michel Molart (1641–1713)

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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

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Louis XIV

Medalist: Michel Molart (1641–1713)

Met Media

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