Early Biedermeier Secretary
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Ebony
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Secretaires
Oak
Antique Early 19th Century Biedermeier Desks
Fruitwood
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Maple
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Mahogany
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Elm, Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Secretaires
Birch, Fruitwood
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Metal, Brass
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Baltic Biedermeier Secretaires
Ormolu
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Satinwood, Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century German Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century French Biedermeier Secretaires
Brass, Other
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Sofas
Fabric, Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century French Biedermeier Secretaires
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century Cabinets
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Secretaires
Birch
People Also Browsed
Antique 1820s Swedish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch, Burl
20th Century Italian Secretaires
Wood, Tulipwood
Antique 1840s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century American Desks
Mahogany
Antique 1840s English Early Victorian Desks
Leather, Hardwood
Antique Late 19th Century Scottish Georgian Cabinets
Walnut, Hardwood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
Antique 1820s Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Ash, Ebony
Antique 19th Century Chinese Qing Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century Danish Queen Anne Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Beds and Bed Frames
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Dra...
Walnut, Softwood
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Secretaires
Birch
Late 20th Century North American Chippendale Secretaires
Burl
Vintage 1910s French Art Nouveau Bedroom Sets
Marble, Bronze
Recent Sales
Antique Early 19th Century European Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Austrian Secretaires
Walnut
Antique 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Secretaires
Birdseye Maple
Antique Mid-19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Secretaires
Maple, Oak, Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Dra...
Cherry
Antique 18th Century and Earlier German Secretaires
Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Antique 1810s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany, Oak
Antique Early 19th Century Slovak Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Elm
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Satinwood
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Desks
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry
Antique 1810s Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Cherry, Burl
Antique Early 19th Century Scandinavian Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Danish Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Secretaires
Birch, Ebony, Maple, Mahogany, Oak, Poplar
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Antique 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century French Biedermeier Secretaires
Spruce, Cherry
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century European Biedermeier Desks
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century French Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Bone, Wood, Cherry, Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Brass, Iron
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century Swedish Other Secretaires
Wood
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century German Secretaires
Walnut
Antique 1820s German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Early 20th Century Scandinavian Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Dra...
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Mirror, Birch, Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Maple
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry
Antique 1820s Swedish Biedermeier Models and Miniatures
Birch
Antique 1820s Swedish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Elm, Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Pearwood
Antique 19th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Early Biedermeier Secretary For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Early Biedermeier Secretary?
A Close Look at biedermeier Furniture
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
Finding the Right secretaires for You
Your antique, new or vintage secretary desk has become the (chic) saving grace of the "new normal" at home.
Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — are revealed.
Traditionally, a secretary is composed of two parts — a chest of drawers on the bottom and a cabinet with shelves on the top. Taking its name from the French word for the piece, secrétaire, the secretary desk dates back to the 18th century, when Paris-based cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, known for his exquisite marquetry and clever mechanical desks, is thought to have invented the secrétaire à abbattant, or drop-leaf desk.
While the defining drop-down feature of the secretary desk has remained constant, the materials used, as well as its configuration, size and style have evolved over time.
At first, secretaries were typically made from exotic woods, like rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood; later, hardwoods like cherry, maple, oak and mahogany were more common. The desks also became lighter, with space carved out of the lower half for the writer’s feet or with drawers replaced by legs — making them more table-like.
When open, the secretary is a dynamic, versatile Wunderkammer. When closed, it’s a sophisticated, space-saving piece of furniture.
“A fine secretary with a good provenance adds stature and credence to its owner — it is a cornerstone piece,” says antiques dealer Stanley Weiss, who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. “In this disposable world, fine furniture is always passed on and speaks to who its owner is.”
No matter what style or period you choose, and no matter how you decide to use it, the timeless, flexible secretary desk is bound to become an indispensable part of your daily routine.
Browse a range of antique and vintage secretary desks on 1stDibs, including mid-century modern secretaires, Georgian secretaires and others.