The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

The Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

See how this desk converts into a dressing table.

When closed, this table may not seem like one of the most complex pieces of European furniture ever made. However, once opened, its concealed drawers and hidden features are exposed, and the entire piece transforms into a dressing table, orpoudreuse. Scholars believe it was commissioned as a wedding gift from Abraham (1711–1793) and David Roentgen (1743–1807) by Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony, to his bride in 1769.

This table, from Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

Images courtesy of Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt.

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Pietà

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, Valenciennes 1827–1875 Courbevoie)

Date:: ca. 1864
Culture:: French
Medium:: Terracotta
Dimensions:: Overall: 11 7/16 x 7 1/16 x 5 15/16 in. (29.1 x 17.9 x 15.1 cm)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: Purchase, Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ada Peluso, and Romano I. Peluso Gift, in memory of Ignazio Peluso, 2001
Accession Number:: 2001.199

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 552

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The Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

Pietà

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, Valenciennes 1827–1875 Courbevoie)

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The Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

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Pietà

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, Valenciennes 1827–1875 Courbevoie)

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