A German walnut, sycamore, fruitwood, tulipwood and marquetry bureau by Abraham Roentgen, Neuwied circa 1765-69

the shaped fall-front opening to reveal a fitted interior with a concave-fronted drawer flanked on either side by two deep concave-fronted and two serpentine short drawers above a serpentine frieze drawer with gently concave sides above a shaped apron on cabriole legs terminating in hairy hoof feet; the back now covered with later silk

Fischer-Böhler Gallery, Munich.
Private Munich Collection.

Christine Cornet, Roentgenmöbel in Müncher Museen, Weltkunst, no, 4, 15th February 1990, illustrated p. 322, plate VII.
Dietrich Fabian, Abraham und David Roentgen, Bad Neustadt, 1986, illustrated plate 207.  

In overall good conserved condition. The wood is a little dry looking and the colour is slightly uneven in places and would benefit from a light repolish according to taste. Old very minor marks, chips and scratches commensurate with age and normal usage.There are some restored construction cracks and scattered age cracks generally which have been well executed and are not too noticeable.There is a vertical construction crack down both sides which would benefit from some minor attention and can easily be filled.There are several watermarks to the top. There are some minor patches to the veneer and a larger light coloured patch to the left side when facing. Old restorations to the feet and legs as visible from the catalogue photograph but these have been well executed. Attractive detail to marquetry with a patch to the frieze drawer visible bottom right side in the photograph. Minor staining and watermarks to the inside of the fall-front.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Dietrich Fabian, Abraham und David Roentgen aus Neuwied, Bad Neustadt, 1986, plates 201-204.
Josef Maria Greber, Abraham und David Roentgen, Möbel für Europa, Starnberg, 1980, vol. 1, p. 98 and vol. 2, figs. 226 and 232, figs., 233 and 238.
Wolfram Koeppe, Extravagant Inventions, The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens, The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York October 30th 2012-27th January 2013, New York, 2012.

This elegant and restrained bureau with exquisite marquetry is almost certainly by Abraham Roentgen due to its striking similarities to recorded bureaux either signed by or attributed to him and has also been illustrated in the academic literature on Roentgen.

Furthermore, this bureau is related to a number of similar examples from the workshop of Abraham Roentgen and dating to around 1765-1769. Greber op. cit. illustrates a group of similar bureaux dating from the late 1760's with variations in the number of drawers and marquetry. All the bureaux illustrated by Greber have the same unusual constructional features adopted by Roentgen-the legs are made as a totally separate element instead of being an extension of the angles in the framework of the carcass; the resulting joints are usually disguised by the mounts. The naturalistic decoration of the hoof feet brings to mind the hoofs of a horse as they are different to the French pieds de biche (deer feet). 

Greber op. cit., Vol. 2,  illustrates a very similar bureau by Abraham Roentgen with a similarly fitted interior and marquetry, although it has five frieze drawers, p. 123, fig. 226, in the collection of the Markgräfin Karoline Luise von Baden, Schloss Favorite, Rastatt, and recently exhibited in the exhibition, Die Meister-Sammlerin Karoline Luise von Baden, from 30^th May 2015 to 6^th September 2015, at die Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, reproduced here in fig. 1. A bureau with similar marquetry and internal drawer composition is illustrated by Greber op. cit., p. 129, figs. 238 and 239. Another related bureau with more elaborate marquetry and frieze drawers is illustrated by the same author, op. cit., p. 126, fig. 233 signed ROENTGEN FECIT A. NEUWIED, circa 1765-8.

A very similar bureau with several drawers in the frieze, stated to have most probably originally been commissioned by Johann Philipp von Walderdorff, the Grafen Schönborn, at Schloss Weiler, is also illustrated by Greber, op. cit., p. 126, fig. 232, and was sold Christie's, London 11th June 1992, lot 153 (£253,000).