Writing table with mechanical fittings (table mécanique or schreibtisch)

Roentgen, David (1743-1807) (workshop of)

Unknown

Item type:

furniture

Date of creation:

late 18th-early 19th c.

Height:

76.7 cm  (30 3/16 in.)

Width:

143.0 cm  (56 5/16 in.)

Depth:

75.5 cm  (29 3/4 in.)

Technique / Medium:

wood

Description

Four men playing two violins, viola, and cello, and a women singing, all from music. Man standing to the side dismantling a recorder. Shawm lying on a table. The Roentgen family of Germany produced exquisite furniture with ingenious mechanical fittings, coveted by aristocratic patrons throughout 18th-century Europe. The panel that forms the top of this table probably originally adorned the front of a tall cabinet acquired by King Louis XVI of France. When the cabinet was dismantled after the French Revolution, its parts were incorporated into new furniture. In this panel of marquetry, the variously colored sections were cut and arranged to resemble an illusionistic painting of spirited young musicians. The small patch at the top center marks the former cabinet's keyhole.

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Violin [3573]
Viola [3561]
Violoncello [3582]
Recorder [4039]
Shawm [4258]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

Notes

In part by David Roentgen and/or his workshop, in part by an unknown craftsman, probably French or German 19th century.

RIdIM record id

4054