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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Program information

The inventive talents of David Roentgen are evident in this exceptionally refined desk. The monogram "DR" inlaid beneath the keyhole on the lower drawer indicates the cabinetmaker's satisfaction with one of his most mechanically ingenuous creations: a single key inserted at different depths unlocks the center drawer, releases the rolltop, or releases the hidden side drawers; if a button is pressed on the underside of these drawers, each swings aside to reveal three other drawers. Above the rolltop, the rectangular structure consists of a single wide drawer. The artist's creativity is evident in the chinoiserie marquetry scenes, created by using minute pieces of naturally colored exotic woods that have a painterly effect.

See Collections to learn more about this desk.

This desk is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013).

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock
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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
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Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16461 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3008 views

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Bacchus and Ariadne from a set of The Loves of the Gods

Designed by François Boucher  (French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris)

Manufactory:
Beauvais
Maker:
Weaving Manufactory directed by André Charlemagne Charron (French, active 1754–80)
Maker:
Weaving Manufactory directed by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (French, Paris 1686–1755 Beauvais)
Patron:
Comissioned by Count Johann Hartvig Ernst Bernstorff (Danish (Bernstorff Palace, Copenhagen))
Patron:
Commissioned by Count Johann Hartvig Ernst Bernstorff (Danish (Bernstorff Palace, Copenhagen))
Date:
1754–56
Culture:
French, Beauvais
Medium:
Wool, silk (23-25 warps per inch, 9-10 per cm.)
Dimensions:
H. 148 1/2 x W. 208 inches (377.2 x 528.3 cm) as measured by Textile Conservation in 1984
Classification:
Textiles
Credit Line:
From the Collection of James Stillman, Gift of Dr. Ernest G. Stillman, 1922
Accession Number:
22.16.2

This artwork is not on display

120039083

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