David Roentgen, 1743-1807
Germany
Secretary Desk, c. 1775
Walnut with inlaid tinted woods of chinoiserie motifs, bronze ormulu mounts, intarsia panels
Bottom: 41 7/8 x 54 1/4 x 24 1/8 in.; Top: 59 1/4 x 54 3/4 x 14 1/2 in.
Gift of Count Pecci-Blunt, 1954.21
The German furniture makers Abraham and David Roentgen opened shops in Berlin, Vienna, and Paris to handle commissions for aristocratic clients, among them King Louis XVI of France. Made about 1775, this impressive Secretary Desk features the grand scale, complex contours, hidden compartments, fine ormolu hardware and mounts, and intricate pictorial wood inlays that are typical of an age that delighted in extravagant form and virtuoso performance.