The Metropolitan Museum of Art - A Hypocrite and a Slanderer

Art Object

Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

Discover the secret compartments of this writing table and see how it can be transformed into a private altar.

Perhaps the most exquisite and technically refined piece from German cabinetmaker Abraham Roentgen (1711–1793), this desk was made for his premier patron, the Catholic official Johann Philipp von Walderdorff. Its interior holds a multitude of drawers, panels, and compartments, in addition to sophisticated mechanical fittings that safeguard the elector’s privacy.

This writing table from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, is featured in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens (on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013). Learn more about the table: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/BK-16676/bureau-op-s-vormige-poten-versierd-met-marqueterie.

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A Hypocrite and a Slanderer

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (German, Weisensteig 1736–1783 Pressburg)

Date:: ca. 1770–83
Culture:: Austrian, probably Pressburg (Bratislava)
Medium:: Tin alloy
Dimensions:: Overall (wt confirmed): H. 14 9/16 x W. 9 5/8 x D. 11 5/8 in., 25lb. (37 x 24.4 x 29.5 cm, 11.3399kg)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: Purchase, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Fund, and Lila Acheson Wallace, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Fisch, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Richardson Gifts, 2010
Accession Number:: 2010.24

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 693

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription: In black paint or pencil on side of cylindrical socle: VB 1876 In black paint or pencil on left side of cylindrical socle: B 188 [r] Stamped on proper right side of cylindrical socle: 39 (This is the number given it when exhibited at Vienna's Burgerspital in 1793.) Partial labels inside the socle: one without writing, one that can be partly transcribed: "ZOL[L] . . ./WIEN . . ./94". (a customs mark).
Provenance

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (until d. 1783) ; by inheritance, the artist's brother Johann Adam Messerschmidt (in 1783) ; Eskeles Collection, Bratislava (before 1935) ; Baroness Karwinski-Gerngross , Vienna (until October 18, 1958) ; European collection (1958–2010) ; [ Roman Herzig , 2010; sold to MMA ]
See also
Who
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (2)
What
Metal (59,364)

Sculpture (24,350)

Figures (5,008)

Busts (553)
Where
Europe (148,586)

Austria (2,138)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,179)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Central Europe (including Germany), 1600–1800 A.D.
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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

A Hypocrite and a Slanderer

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (German, Weisensteig 1736–1783 Pressburg)

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Abraham Roentgen's Writing Desk

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A Hypocrite and a Slanderer

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (German, Weisensteig 1736–1783 Pressburg)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store