23 / 76
8 /1 9 6 3 S e k re tæ r
D a v id R o e n tg e n s v æ rk s te d , N e u w ie d 1 7 8 5 -9 0
M a h o g n i- o g b irk e fin é r , f o r g y ld t b r o n z e o g m e s
s in g . H :1 3 2 , B :1 0 0 , D :4 2
V ed a n sk a ffe lse n a f d e n n e
secrétaire a abattant
er
m u s e e ts s a m lin g a f m ø b le r fra D a v id R o e n tg e n s
v æ r k s te d fo r e lø b ig s m u k t a f ru n d e t. D e ia lt 13
n u m r e f o r d e le r sig p å ty p e r so m : s k rin , m ø n t
s k rin , k o n s o lu r e , s ta n d u r e , o v a le s m å b o r d e , to i
le tb o r d e , a r k ite k tb o r d e , d a m e s k r iv e b o r d e , s e k re
tæ r e r a f fo rs k e llig u d f o r m n in g s a m t c y lin d e rb u
re a u e r.
A b r a h a m R o e n tg e n (1 7 1 1 -1 7 9 3 ) o g lig e le d e s
s ø n n e n D a v id (1 7 4 3 -1 8 0 7 ) tilh ø r te H e r r n h u te r -
m e n ig h e d e n , o g d e f ly tte d e 1750 m e d d e n n e til
N e u w ie d v e d R h in e n . H e r fo rfæ r d ig e d e v æ rk s te
d e t, s o m i 1772 b le v o v e r ta g e t a f D a v id R o e n tg e n ,
m ø b le r , d e r a ltid k e n d e te g n e d e s v e d h å n d v æ r k s
m æ s s ig h ø j s ta n d a rd , o g s o m o fte v a r f o r s y n e d e
m e d s in d r ig e m e k a n is k e fin e sse r. R ig m æ n d o g
s a m tid e n s f y r s te r v a r k u n d e r h o s R o e n tg e n , f.e k s.
F r ie d ric h W ilh e lm II a f P re u s s e n , M a rie A n to in e t
te a f F r a n k r ig o g ik k e m in d s t K a th a r in a II a f R u s
la n d , s o m v a r s to r a f ta g e r i 1 7 8 0 ’e rn e . I D a v id s
S a m lin g e r d e r fle re m ø b le r , s o m s ta m m e r fra d e
k e js e rlig e slo tte , m e n o m d e n n e s e k re tæ r g ø r d e t
k a n ik k e sig e s m e d s ik k e rh e d , se lv o m d e n o p r in
d e lig k o m fra S o v je tu n io n e n i 1928.
T y d e lig t p r æ g e t a f L o u is S eize tid e n s e le g a n te
f o r m s p r o g p e g e r d e n n e re la tiv t se n e R o e n tg e n s e -
k re tæ r , m e d sit s tr e n g e o g m ø r k e m a h o g n iy d r e
b e r ig e t m e d f o r g y ld te b ro n z e b e s la g o g m e s s in g li-
ste r, a llig e v e l f r e m a d m o d e m p ire s tile n . - D e t er
v e l e n a f å rs a g e rn e til a t m ø b le r n e p a s s e r så g o d t til
h u s e ts fy s io g n o m i.
8/1963 Escritoire
David Roentgen’s workshop, Neuwied 1185-90
Mahogany and birch veneer, gilt bronze and brass.
El: 132, 1V:100, D:42
With the acquisition of this
s e c ré ta ire à a b a tta n t
the
Museum’s collection of furniture fom David Roent
gen’s workshop has -fo r the time being - been elegantly
rounded off. The items, 13 in all, cover types such as
boxes, coin cabinets, bracket clocks, longcase clocks,
oval small tables, dressing tables, drawing-tables, writ
ing-desks for ladies, escritoires of various kinds and cyl
inder desks.
Abraham Roentgen (1711-1793) and his son David
(1743-1807) belonged to the Herrnhuter community,
and in 1750 they all moved to Neuwied on the Rhine.
Here the workshop (which was taken over by David
Roentgen in 1772) turned outfurniture that was charac
terized by high standards of craftsmanship and often
fitted with ingenious mechanical devices. Rich men and
monarchs of the day were Roentgen’s customers, includ
ing Frederick William II of Prussia, Marie Antoinette
of France and not least, Catherine II of Russia, who
bought many pieces during the 1780s. The David Col
lection has several items that originatefrom the imperial
palaces, but whether this escritoire does too cannot be
stated with certainty, even though it came from the
USSR in 1928.
Clearly influenced by the elegant idiom of the Louis
X V I style, this relatively late Roentgen escritoire,
which has a restrained, dark mahogany exterior en
riched with gilt bronze mounts and brass edgings,
nevertheless points towards the Empire style. It is prob
ably one of the reasons why it goes so well with the
physiognomy of the building.
20