Armchair en cabriolet

ca. 1785

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 553

Well-known for intricate mechanical furniture and fine marquetry, the production of chairs was never a substantial output of the Roentgen workshop. In contrast to other cabinetmakers, his guild-exempt status allowed David Roentgen to make both case furniture as well as seat furniture. This neoclassical example incorporates an arched top rail with gilt-bronze knobs most likely for the loops of a cushion in order to make the backrest with its coiling serpents more comfortable for the user.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Armchair en cabriolet
Maker: David Roentgen (German, Herrnhaag 1743–1807 Wiesbaden, master 1780)
Date: ca. 1785
Culture: German, Neuwied am Rhein
Medium: Mahogany, gilt bronze, brass; modern suede upholstery
Dimensions: confirmed: 37 1/4 × 23 7/8 × 21 1/2 in. (94.6 × 60.6 × 54.6 cm)
Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
Object Number: 2019.283.23
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Designer Drawer pulls after a design by Thomas Chippendale
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Clarinet in D, Boxwood, brass, German — Clarinet in D
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Commode à vantaux, David Roentgen German, Oak, pine, walnut, mahogany, and cherry veneered with hornbeam (partially stained), tulipwood, walnut, holly and maple (both partially stained), boxwood, mahogany, and other woods; red brocatelle marble; gilt bronze; iron, steel, and brass, German, Neuwied am Rhein — Commode à vantaux
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1775–79 with later alterations

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