DavidsSamlingGennem24År

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.

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.

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