$1,600
H 67 in W 37.5 in D 13 in
Antique Quartersawn Oak Side by Side Secretary Desk Bookcase Curio Cabinet
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian side by side / secretary desk / bookcase / display case. Made of quartersawn oak featuring Art Nouveau styling with curio cabinet next to a drop front secretary ove...
Mirror, Oak
Sold
H 95.5 in W 44 in D 21 in
Antique American Victorian Cherry Secretary Desk & Bookcase Hutch Curio Cabinet
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique American Victorian fall/ drop front secretary desk, bookcase, hutch and curio. Made of solid cherry featuring rectangular form with upper bookcase curio that retains original...
Glass, Cherry
Sold
H 72.5 in W 42 in D 13.5 in
Antique Quartersawn Oak Side by Side Secretary Desk Bookcase Curio Cabinet
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique American Victorian side by side / secretary desk / bookcase / display case. Made of quartersawn oak featuring Art Nouveau styling with curio cabinet next to a drop front secr...
Oak
Sold
H 53.25 in W 14.25 in D 54 in
19th C. Chippendale Flame Mahogany Bookcase Side Secretary Desk Curio Cabinet
Located in Dayton, OH
Includes lower cabinet for storage below drop front. The exterior flanked curio cabinets are glass covered with wooden fretwork backing and two fixed shelves.
Glass, Mahogany
Antique 19th Victorian Curio Cabinet Secretary Desk
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Nice small antique Victorian curio cabinet with desk. the doors with glass in the top cabinet with small shelves to showcase collectibles or books.
Pine
Hepplewhite Mahogany Secretary Desk Bookcase Curio Top
By George Hepplewhite
Located in Toledo, OH
Hepplewhite mahogany secretary desk bookcase with curio top. Drop down writing surface with pullout / pull-out supports. Two adjustable glass shelves. Flamed mahogany drawer and desk...
Mahogany
$2,700
H 38.19 in W 86.62 in D 27.56 in
Antique Swedish Regency Mahogany Chaise Lounge Sofa, Early 19th Century
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Period Swedish Karl Johan style design featuring strong sabre legs and a scrolled back. Karl Johan style is similar to the English Regency period. Very versatile chaise we see either...
Wood
$1,364Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.5 in W 17 in
17th Century Dutch Oil Painting Figures outside Building in Ancient Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures in Landscape Dutch School, 17th century oil on wood panel, framed in antique wooden frame framed: 14.5 x 17 inches panel : 10 x 12 inches Provenance: private collection, Engl...
Oil
$5,240Sale Price|50% Off
H 32.49 in W 32.29 in D 1.97 in
French 18th Century Forged Iron Folk Art Baroque Tavern Sign
Located in Buisson, FR
Important and beautiful 18th century Tavern sign depicting a rearing white horse with a crowned coat of arms on its back. Most likely from the Alsace, France due to the German influe...
Iron
$4,476
H 35 in W 22.1 in D 7.5 in
Antique Medieval Gothic Style, Oak Hanging Wall Cabinet with Church Windows
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare gothic revival wall cabinet with carved church-window doors France or Northern Europe, late 19th century. This exceptional and highly decorative Gothic Revival wall cabinet dat...
Brass
19Thc Amazing Brass & Iron Large Bakers Rack
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This fine and very large French style bakers rack is in fine condition.This rack / shelf has custom made sized glass. This rack is in very good condition. This is the largest bakers ...
Iron
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
H 12.087 in W 10.079 in
Salvador Dali, Untitled, from The Three-Cornered Hat, 1958
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite engraving by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), originates from the 1958 edition published b...
Engraving
Vibrant Stained Glass Window 35" x 33"
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Large Victorian style window with deep blue glass. Trimmed with textured clear glass, the blue design pops with color! Scrolling patterns in light pink hues add a contrast to the bri...
Stained Glass
$5,000
H 41.5 in W 10.5 in D 0.25 in
4 Antique English Edwardian Era Hand Painted Arched Leaded Stained Glass Windows
Located in Dayton, OH
A charming set of four Early 1900s Edwardian reclaimed, leaded hand painted stained glass windows. Features a multicolored geometric glass pattern set around hand painted and fired ...
Lead
$3,131
H 37.41 in W 74.02 in D 31.89 in
French Circa 1860 Original Painted Green Napoleon lll Cast Iron Daybed Rococo
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A wonderfully worn circa 1860 Napoleon lll cast iron daybed, with a intricate floral scroll work design with a nod to the rococo style Original green paint, faded, chipped, scratc...
Iron
$1,500
H 22.4 in W 6.1 in D 13.7 in
American Folk Art Large Painted Wrought Iron Sitting Cat Statue 1950s-1960s
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage large American Folk Art statue features a large cat sitting with its tail raised up and slightly curled, looking straight forward with its ears perked up. The cat is sculpted...
Metal, Wrought Iron
$5,117
H 58.86 in W 31.5 in D 19.69 in
Antique Harrods Green Lacquered Cocktail Cabinet on Stand Mid 20th Century
Located in London, GB
A fabulous polychromed Green lacquered and gilt japanned cocktail cabinet-on-stand, retailed by Harrods and bearing their ivorine label, circa 1940's in date. The two-door cabinet ...
Wood, Giltwood
$8,500
H 36 in W 36.5 in D 15 in
Biedermeier Period Burlwood Table Cabinet Of Curiosities Wunderkammer 19th C.
Located in Forney, TX
A fine Biedermeier Period (1815-1848) walnut maple burlwood marquetry table cabinet - wunderkammer (cabinet of curiosities) with fifteen drawers and concealed secret compartments, ci...
Iron
$8,184
H 95.87 in W 66.54 in D 20.08 in
Large Antique German Pitch Pine Corner Apothecary Cabinet / Vitrine ca 1900s
Located in Nijmegen, NL
This stunning corner apothecary cabinet was made in Germany around the turn of the century. It features two vitrines with shelves and both small and large square drawers at both ends...
Pine
Antique Victorian Carved Walnut Mirror Back Sideboard
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique Victorian carved walnut mirror back sideboard having a triple mirror back with elegant turned supports and shelves. The base having three frieze drawers with original brass h...
Walnut
Edison Little Folks Child's Dresser/ Armoir
By Thomas Edison
Located in Highland, IN
This lovely little child's armoire in maple by Edison Little Folks has handsome deco style detailing and is highly functional with a bank of four drawers over a wide drawer and a com...
Metal
$17,664
H 59.06 in W 37.41 in D 19.69 in
Rare Italian Liberty Style/Art Nouveau Commode with Painted Wood Inlays
Located in Milano, IT
Rare commode in the style of Louis Majorelle with front and sides inlaid in painted wood. Two doors on the front that hide a cabinet with open compartments and small drawers in light...
Wood
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.
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