Writing table 1785 - 1795

This writing table was crafted by David Roentgen in the late 18th century, a period defined by Enlightenment ideals and stark social inequalities. Roentgen was a cabinet maker renowned for his innovative designs and exquisite craftsmanship, catering to an aristocratic clientele that reveled in luxury and display. The table’s elegant lines and refined ornamentation reflect a society deeply stratified by class. As a symbol of power and wealth, it represents the lives of privilege enjoyed by a select few, made possible by the labor and exploitation of many. Consider the hands that polished the wood, those that mined the metal, or those who served the person writing at this table. What stories might they tell? Furniture like this was central to the performance of status and the maintenance of social order. In our own time we might ask, what kinds of objects do we use to perform status, and what kinds of labor make those objects possible?