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Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

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Art Object
Program Information

Unfolding an Eighteenth-Century Gaming Table

Program information

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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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

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Exhibitions:

Events:

Events:

Shaving cup with cover and handle; soap dish (part of a set)

Johann Bernhard Hertz (Hentz)  (master 1834–1855)

Date:
1848–49
Culture:
Russian (St. Petersburg)
Medium:
Silver; c) silver, ivory
Dimensions:
a) H. (w/ cover) 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); W. 2 3/4 in. (7cm); L. (w/ handle) 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); L. (w/o handle) 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm) b) 7/16 x 2 13/16 x 3 3/8 in. (1.1 x 7.1 x 8.6 cm) c) 4 1/2 x 5/8 x 1 15/16 in. (11.4 x 1.6 x 4.9 cm) d) 1 3/8 x 2 9/16 x 3 1/4 in. (3.5 x 6.5 x 8.3 cm)
Classification:
Metalwork
Credit Line:
Gift of Ralph McAllister Ingersoll, 1968
Accession Number:
68.33.9 a-d

This artwork is not on display

  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

    Inscription: Monogram: a) (on front in center of cartouche) CMI

    Marking: (on bottom of cup [a]): [1] A·T, in rectangular shield. 1848, in rectangular shield joined to above (assay master's mark, Dimitri Ilyich Tverskoi, master 1834-1850) [2] I·B·H, in oval shield (maker's mark, Johann Bernhard Hertz [Hentz], master 1834-1855) [3] 84, in rectangular shield (quality mark) [4] town mark of St. Petersburg, 1818-1861 (inside cover [b]): [1] 84, in rectangular shield (quality mark) [2] I·B·H, in oval shield (maker's mark, Johann Bernhard Hertz [Hentz], master 1834-1855) [3] town mark of St. Petersburg, 1818-1861 (on top exterior of both silver ends of handle [c]): [1] I·B·H, in oval shield (maker's mark, Johann Bernhard Hertz [Hentz], master 1834-1855) (on bottom exterior of soap dish [d]): [1] 84, in rectangular shield (quality mark) [2] I·B·H, in oval shield (maker's mark, Johann Bernhard Hertz [Hentz], master 1834-1855) [3] town mark of St. Petersburg, 1818-1861 (at end of handle on exterior edge): [4] town mark of St. Petersburg, 1818-1861

  • Provenance

    Colin Macrae Ingersoll ; Colin Macrae Ingersoll ; Ralph McAllister Ingersoll (until 1968)

  • See also
    Who
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    Where
    When
    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
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