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.

Video/Audio (4)

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

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10523 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16384 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3001 views

The Annunciation

Date:: ca. 1500
Culture:: Italian, probably Florence
Medium:: Silk and linen
Dimensions:: L. 39 1/2 x W. 9 1/2 inches (100.3 x 24.1 cm)
Classification:: Textiles
Credit Line:: Rogers Fund, 1914
Accession Number:: 14.62.9

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 500

Description

Orphrey bands were intended to decorated priests’ chasubles or copes. Woven orphreys with figural designs were made as a less expensive alternative to embroidery from the late 14th century into the 16th century.
Provenance

Vitall Benguiat (until 1914)
See also
What
Silk (32,922)

Textiles (32,752)

Woven (11,528)

Linen (7,486)

Orphreys (110)
Where
Europe (148,587)

Italy (20,984)

Tuscany (1,162)

Florence (506)
When
A.D. 1400-1600 (20,545)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Florence and Central Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.