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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Art Object
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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.

David Roentgen: Long-Case Clock

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

The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
(00:02:20) 10632 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Demonstration
(00:02:17) 16720 views

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation

Rolltop Desk by David Roentgen: Animation
(00:01:00) 3016 views

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Louis Landes  (master ca. 1770, active 1789)

Date:
1774
Culture:
French (Toulouse)
Medium:
Silver
Dimensions:
Overall: 9 3/4 in., 18.134oz. (24.8 cm, 514.1g)
Classification:
Metalwork
Credit Line:
Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948
Accession Number:
48.187.8

This artwork is not on display

  • Description

    Covered bowls such as this were known in France as ecuelles, and were intended for the serving of hot broth or soup. Broth was commonly served in the morning in the bedroom during the toilette, the elaborate washing and dressing ritual. The bowl's cover kept the contents warm, and the broth could be sipped from the bowl by using the two handles, while bread rested on the stand.
    This basin and stand are decorated with the most common of all Rococo motifs, scrolls in the form of the letter C, and with abstract shell and vegetal forms. The handles are formed of looping bands entwined with laurel branches. The design of this ecuelle is masterful; little is known about the Toulouse silversmith Louis Landes, but the Rococo silver produced in Toulouse in the third quarter of the eighteenth century is among the finest French silver made in this style.

  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

    Marking: [1] L / LAN / DES, a pellet below (maker's mark) [2] Crowned foliate italic M (charge mark for large work, jurisdiction of Toulouse, 1768-74) [3] T O L, a fleur-de-lis between 2 grains de remède above, T between 2 grains de remède below (Toulouse warden's mark, 1774) [4] Horse's head (discharge mark for large work, jurisdiction of Toulouse, 1768-74) [5] A cross cléché (discharge mark for small work, jurisdiction of Toulouse, 1768-74) [6] Boar's head (Paris restricted warranty mark for silver, 1838-79) [7] Swan in oval (French mark for silver imported from countries without customs conventions, 1893 to present) Location of marks: [1]-[3] on base of dish, inside cover, under rim of plate [4] on base of dish, under rim of plate [5] on top rim of cover [6] on base of dish, plate, inside cover, finial [7] on insetting rim of cover

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