A GERMAN BRASS-BANDED KINGWOOD, TULIPWOOD AND MAHOGANY TEA CADDY

Abraham Roentgen (1711-1793) was born in 1711 in Müllheim, which today is part of Cologne in Germany. He learned cabinet making in his father's shop and worked as an apprentice in The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, before settling in London in 1731. He was soon employed by English cabinetmakers who admired his interesting use of inlay, inventive mechanical fittings, and the hidden drawers he used in his furniture. In 1742 he established himself as a cabinetmaker in Herrnhaag and in 1750 moved to Neuwied where his shop expanded quickly. Abraham soon became known for furniture of outstanding quality created for the various German courts. Comparable tea caddys are shown in W. Koeppe, Kästchen aus der Werkstatt Abraham Roentgen in amerikanischen Sammlungen, Dettelbach, 1997, p. 104, 105.