Rolltop desk
Medium
Oak, cherry, pine, mahogany, veneered with maple, burl woods, holly, hornbeam (all partially stained), tulipwood, mahogany, and other woods; mother-of-pearl; partially gilded and tooled leather; gilt bronze, iron, steel, brass, partially gold-lacquered brass
Dimensions
53 1/2 x 43 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. (135.9 x 110.5 x 67.3 cm.)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
German, Neuwied am Rhein
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.82
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite rolltop desk, crafted around 1776–79 in Neuwied am Rhein,, represents the pinnacle of 18th-century European cabinet. Primarily the work of master ébéniste David Ro, whose innovative mechanical furniture graced royal courts across Europe, it features painted decorations by Januarius Zick and influences from English master Thomas Chippendale. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Sculpture and Decorative Arts, this piece exemplifies the opulence of the late Rococo and emerging Neoclassical styles, blending functionality with lavish ornamentation. Constructed from oak, cherry...
About the Artist
David Roentgen|Januarius Zick|Thomas Chippendale · 1743–1807
German, Herrnhaag 1743–1807 Wiesbaden, master 1780