$1,800Sale Price|61% Off
Unique Venetian Italian Paint Decorated Secretary Desk with Bookcase Circa 1890s
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This Venetian Italian paint decorated secretary desk with bookcase, circa 1890s, is a remarkable example of hand-crafted artistry and old-world European charm.
Walnut
$3,000Sale Price|38% Off
Fantastic Paint Decorated Faux Marble Interior Venetian Secretary Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This fantastic paint decorated Venetian secretary desk with faux marble interior is a remarkable statement piece that captures the artistry and elegance of 19th to early 20th century...
Walnut
Sold
H 33 in W 39 in D 20 in
Louis XVI -Style Asian Chinoiserie Desk/Secretary with Verni Martin Decorating
Located in Houston, TX
This piece is in the manner of Jacques Dubois , the shaped, rectangular top Has a pierced three quarter pierced brass gallery above a slant front opening To a storage well and draw...
Mahogany
Sold
H 41.93 in W 31.11 in D 14.97 in
Highly Decorative English Lady's Secretary Desk from the 19th Century
Located in Opole, PL
Furthermore, the front is decorated with beautiful inlays. Presented secretary desk has undergone renovation.
Baize, Wood
Sold
H 94.49 in W 68.9 in D 19.69 in
19th Century Spanish Bargueño / Vargueño New World Inlay Motif with Table
Located in Madrid, ES
Large-scale 19th century Spanish bargueño / vargueño (secretary/desk) decorated with scenes of Columbus discovering the New World.
Wood, Bone, Tortoise Shell
Sold
H 71 in W 36 in D 18.5 in
English Satinwood Paint Decorated Adams Style Secretary Desk with Bookcase top
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Adams style paint decorated secretary desk with 4 doors containing 3 shelves with a drop desk.
Wood
Sold
H 46.46 in W 44.49 in D 17.33 in
Unusual Swedish Antique Tall Country Secretary Desk in Painted Pine
Located in Kramfors, SE
Interior with drawers and two doors in the center, all decorated with a ribbed decor. The secretary desk is painted with faux paint to imitate wood with green accents on the doors an...
Pine
19th Century Japanese Lacquer Secretary Desk Richly Decorated
Located in Paris, FR
19th century Japanese lacquer secretary desk richly decorated Small size secretary desk with black lacquered flap, rich decor of birds and koi carps in a lake landscape.
Wood
Pair of 18th Century Italian Walnut Armchairs, Circa 1750
Located in San Francisco, CA
A pair of Louie XV style hand carved walnut chairs with 17th century wool tapestry upholstery. These are of generous proportions, very sturdy and comfortable. The tapestry fabric has...
Tapestry, Walnut
$14,200
H 88.5 in W 49 in D 19 in
Dorothy Draper Lacquered Viennese Secretary Desk for Henredon, circa 1963
By Henredon, Dorothy Draper
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Everyone can have a taste of iconic Dorothy Draper Hollywood Regency style with this perfectly sized and oh so elegant Viennese Collection Secretaries Desk Breakfront. Regal. Whimsic...
Metal, Brass
French Metal Canopy Bed, King
Located in Westwood, NJ
French Metal Canopy Bed, King Size, with a bronze finish metal canopy frame with a padded upholstered headboard in a neutral linen fabric. The frame with finials, square posts, and r...
Metal
$2,261 / item
H 28.35 in W 21.66 in D 1.97 in
"Ca'Favretto" Murano Glass Mirror in Venetian Style, by Fratelli Tosi Murano
By Fratelli Tosi
Located in Murano Venezia, IT
Murano glass mirror in Venetian Style, mirror made to a design by Fratelli Tosi, entirely handmade according to the techniques of our ancestors. Mirror composed of a crystal frame o...
Art Glass, Mirror, Murano Glass
$6,800 / item
H 48 in W 33 in D 2.75 in
Bespoke Octagonal Pink Murano Glass and Brass Mirror, in Stock
Located in Miami, FL
Bespoke octagonal pink Murano glass and bras mirror, in stock Vivid and intense pink glass block with naturally occurring air inclusions throughout, highly polished faceted pattern c...
Brass
Painted Venetian Florentine Style Credenza
Located in New York, NY
Florentine Style Credenza, with Painted, Gold Gilt and Crackle Finish. One drawer and one door with original key. Some wear to finish from age and use. Good overall condition.
Gold Leaf
Italian Venetian Pink Chinoiserie Secretary Desk Cabinet
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Italian Venetian Pink Chinoiserie Secretary Desk Cabinet. It is beautifully hand painted with yellow inside and pink outside. It comes apart in two pieces for transport. Made in Italy.
Wood
Large Italian Giltwood Bed Canopy 'Corona'
Located in Chireno, TX
Large Italian giltwood bed canopy, or corona (also known in France as a ciel de lit), circa 1760-1780. Hand carved giltwood with painted detail decoration. Portion of reverse side is...
Wood, Giltwood
19th Century French Louis XVI Style Bibliotheque or Bookcase
Located in Winter Park, FL
A 19th century French Louis XVI bibliotheque, or bookcase, made of solid walnut with mahogany as a secondary wood. Nice hand carved decorative panels at the bottom with musical instr...
Glass, Mahogany, Walnut
Neoclassical Style Lacquered Five Panel Screen Fragment
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Dramatic Asian five panel screen fragment of a larger painted screen. The screen features a lacquered canvas over a wood frame depicting neoclassical style column architecture with f...
Canvas, Wood
Fantastic Hand-Painted 4 Panel Classical Romantic Screen Room Divider
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This hand-painted 4 panel Classical Romantic screen room divider is a true statement piece that brings timeless elegance and charm to any interior. Each panel is beautifully decorate...
Walnut
$2,995
H 32 in W 68 in D 21 in
Thomasville French Provincial Louis XV Pink Lacquered Triple Dresser, Refinished
By Thomasville
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style nine-drawer triple dresser or credenza By Thomasville USA, Circa 1970s Pink lacquered solid oak, with original brass hardware. Measure...
Brass
$2,917Sale Price|25% Off
H 39.5 in W 28.5 in D 17 in
French Provincial Style Secretary Desk with Marquetry Inlays and Key
Located in Soquel, CA
French Provincial Style Walnut Secretary Desk with Marquetry Inlays and Key. Original Finish.
Walnut
$23,850Sale Price|63% Off
H 104.5 in W 94.25 in D 26.25 in
Austrian-German 19th Century Carved Walnut Black-Forest Hunt Credenza Bookcase
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very large and impressive Austrian-German 19th century finely carved walnut figural Black-Forest "Hunting" credenza Bibliothèque (Bookacase). The intricately carved two-part body, ...
Glass, Walnut
Gorgeous 18th Century Baroque South American Floral Shrine
Located in Rio De Janeiro, BR
Lovely 18th Century shrine in polychrome cedar. Rectangular box, topped by a cut pediment carved with flowers, flanked by a pair of tips – like simplified obelisks. Sides and pair of...
Cedar
19th Century French Louis XVI Painted Bed with Caning
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Louis XVI painted bed with caning is a splendid example of what some have called 'Paris Country' where a refined style is made more casual primarily by a finish t...
Cane, Walnut
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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