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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

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Art Object
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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) 10613 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16640 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3015 views

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Ecce Homo

Perhaps designed by a member of the workshop of Quentin Massys  (1465/1466–1530)

Artist:
After an engraving by Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg)
Artist:
After an engraving attributed to the School of Albrecht Dürer
Date:
ca. 1520–25
Culture:
Flemish, Brussels
Medium:
Wool, silk, silver-gilt thread (17-18 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.)
Dimensions:
H. 53 x W. 40 inches (134.6 x 101.6 cm)
Classification:
Textiles
Credit Line:
Gift of Jacques Seligmann, 1906
Accession Number:
06.301

This artwork is not on display

120030358

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