The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Peacock with tail down

Art Object

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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.

Video/Audio (4)

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

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 11562 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 18147 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3152 views

Peacock with tail down

Date:: 1787
Culture:: Hungarian (Munkács)
Medium:: Silver, parcel-gilt
Dimensions:: Overall: 7 3/16 x 12 in. (18.3 x 30.5 cm)
Classification:: Metalwork
Credit Line:: Gift of The Salgo Trust for Education, New York, in memory of Nicolas M. Salgo, 2010
Accession Number:: 2010.110.63a, b

This artwork is not on display

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Marking: Struck on the plain rim of the base: 1] the town mark of Munkács, 2] the import mark and 3] standard mark.
Provenance

Lord Walston ; Paul Wallraf ; [ sale, Sotheby's, London December 8, 1983, lot 91; to Salgo ] ; Nicolas M. Salgo (from 1983) ; Salgo Trust for Education (until 2010; to MMA)
See also
What
Metal (59,483)

Metalwork (14,681)

Silver (14,046)

Gilt (9,077)

Figures (5,015)
Where
Europe (150,372)

Hungary (485)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (67,128)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,228)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Central Europe (including Germany), 1600–1800 A.D.