The ingenious transformable table with a three-part top can serve both as a dressing table (coiffeuse) and as a desk. On the inside of its hinged center panel is displayed the coat of arms of the House of Wettin, which is being presented by a lion, and refers to its patron, Elector Friedrich August III of Saxony (1750–1827). A hinged mirror is concealed beneath the top, middle cover. Trays can be turned out from underneath the two top, side covers. The drawers on the table sides each contain a box that can be turned out, which in turn is divided into an insert box and small drawers. The table’s middle, front drawer is divided into a hinged escritoire with compartments containing an inkwell and pounce pot. Elaborate bronze fittings adorn the slightly curved round legs with ball feet.
This masterful piece of luxury furniture was commissioned by Elector Friedrich August III of Saxony as a wedding gift on the occasion of his marriage to Marie Amalie Auguste von Pfalz-Zweibrücken (1752–1828) in 1769. It was made in the renowned workshop of Abraham and David Roentgen. The artistic inlay work of fine intarsia in the form of rocaille and rose ornaments and the depiction of parrots on the tabletop are evidence of the great skill of the cabinetmakers.