The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet
May 19, 2017 21:36:57 #
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKikHxKeodA
Discover the hidden features and intricate interior of this cabinet.
One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711--1793) and David Roentgen's (1743--1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoration, mechanical complexity, and sheer size.
This cabinet is from Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens:http://www.metmuseum.org/en/exhibitio...
Discover the hidden features and intricate interior of this cabinet.
One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711--1793) and David Roentgen's (1743--1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoration, mechanical complexity, and sheer size.
This cabinet is from Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens:http://www.metmuseum.org/en/exhibitio...
May 19, 2017 21:43:20 #
What a facsinating piece of furniture not to mention beautiful!!! I really enjoyed that....thanks for sharing!!!!
May 19, 2017 21:47:51 #
luvmypets wrote:
What a facsinating piece of furniture not to mention beautiful!!! I really enjoyed that....thanks for sharing!!!!
It sure was and to think that was built over 200 years ago!
May 20, 2017 07:40:09 #
I rather think an exercise in what can be done, not so much an exercise in practicality or usefullness. The woodwork impressed me much more than the gadgetry. Those folks certainly knew how to apply the tools they had available to the utmost.
May 20, 2017 09:49:15 #
dragonfist wrote:
I rather think an exercise in what can be done, not so much an exercise in practicality or usefullness. The woodwork impressed me much more than the gadgetry. Those folks certainly knew how to apply the tools they had available to the utmost.
That they did.
May 20, 2017 19:15:13 #
They don't make things as beautiful and elegant as this masterpiece. Thanks for sharing. 
May 20, 2017 19:21:24 #
Sirius_one wrote:
They don't make things as beautiful and elegant as this masterpiece. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure mate.
May 23, 2017 13:50:35 #
Just a clarification, the exhibit was at the Met in 2012, not now. My wife and I were able to see it and it was beyond belief (thank you IBM for assigning me to NYC for a year). The catalog/book is currently available. In person, the workmanship is awesome but you need the videos to see all the things that open up and all the hidden compartments.
May 23, 2017 19:08:43 #
CaltechNerd wrote:
Just a clarification, the exhibit was at the Met in 2012, not now. My wife and I were able to see it and it was beyond belief (thank you IBM for assigning me to NYC for a year). The catalog/book is currently available. In person, the workmanship is awesome but you need the videos to see all the things that open up and all the hidden compartments.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.