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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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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
(00:00:52)

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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Johann Wilhelm Keibel  (master 1812; died 1862)

Artist:
Painting probably by Henri Joseph van Blarenberghe (French, Lille 1750–1826 Lille)
Date:
ca. 1820
Culture:
Russian (St. Petersburg)
Medium:
Four-color gold, painting in gouache
Dimensions:
H. 1 in (2.5 cm).; Diam. 4-1/8 in. (10.5 cm)
Classification:
Metalwork
Credit Line:
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number:
17.190.1183a, b

This artwork is not on display

  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

    Signature: van Blarenberghe (painting on cover)

    Inscription: 438 (stamped inside bezel)

    Marking: [1] Keibel (in script) (maker's mark) [2] The letter A and the reversed letter R in rectangle (mark of St. Petersburg assayer Alexander Ilitj Jaschinkov (w. 1795-1826) (see image) [3] probably two-headed eagle in circle [4] ET in rectangle (French mark for gold and silver imported from countries without customs conventions, 1864 to present) Location of marks: [1]: inside bottom and cover [2], [3]: each twice inside bottom [4] on bezel and on rim of cover

  • Provenance

    Marquis de Thuisy (until 1901; sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 30–31, 1901, cat. 134)

120008571

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