Demonstration of the Roentgens' Dressing Table (Poudreuse)

See a demonstration of how this desk operates.

When closed, this table may not seem like one of the most complex pieces of European furniture ever made. However, once opened, its concealed drawers and hidden features are exposed, and the entire piece transforms into a dressing table, orpoudreuse. Scholars believe it was commissioned as a wedding gift from Abraham (1711--1793) and David Roentgen (1743--1807) by Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony, to his bride in 1769.

This table is from Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, and is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens