Roentgen, David

cabinetmaker

Born: 11.08.1743 in Herrnhaag (Büdingen district)

died: 12.02.1807 in Wiesbaden

Roentgen is considered one of the most important German cabinetmakers. The family moved from Herrnhaag to Neuwied in 1750 to join the Herrnhut Brethren congregation there. Neuwied was an important center of furniture production in the 18th century. After an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker with his father Abraham, Roentgen worked as a journeyman in his manufactory from around 1760.

In 1772, he took over the business, which he saved from bankruptcy by selling his products in a lottery and developed into a company with an international reputation. Branches were established in Paris and Berlin. Thanks to his outstanding artistic work and his clever market strategies, his clientele soon included almost all European royal courts. A furniture factory was established in which new types of furniture were developed, e.g. desks with secret compartments and sophisticated mechanical gimmicks, and new veneer techniques were applied to the richly inlaid furniture. Stylistically, his furniture can be assigned to the Rococo and Louis-seize styles and became known as Roentgen furniture or Neuwied furniture.

The French Revolution led to an economic slump from which his company never recovered. The new era brought him no more magnificent orders. He died during an extended stay in Wiesbaden in 1806/07 as a representative of the Moravian Brethren. He was buried in the cemetery at the Römertor. His gravestone was moved to Neuwied in 1937.