The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Rose and Thistle

Art Object

Program Information

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Program information

Discover the secret compartments of this writing table and see how it can be transformed into a private altar.

Perhaps the most exquisite and technically refined piece from German cabinetmaker Abraham Roentgen (1711–1793), this desk was made for his premier patron, the Catholic official Johann Philipp von Walderdorff. Its interior holds a multitude of drawers, panels, and compartments, in addition to sophisticated mechanical fittings that safeguard the elector’s privacy.

This writing table from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013). Learn more about the table: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/BK-16676/bureau-op-s-vormige-poten-versierd-met-marqueterie.

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Rose and Thistle

Designed by William Morris (British, Walthamstow, London 1834–1896 Hammersmith, London)

Manufactory:: Merton Abbey Tapestry Works (British, founded 1881)
Maker:: Workshop of Morris & Company (British)
Date:: designed before April 1881; printed 1917–23
Culture:: British, Merton Abbey
Medium:: Cotton
Dimensions:: L. 108 x W. 38 3/8 inches 274.3 x 97.5 cm
Classification:: Textiles
Credit Line:: Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1923
Accession Number:: 23.163.9

This artwork is not on display

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