Louis XVI drop-leaf secretary desk in rosewood and violet wood veneer, 18th cent
Located in Honnelles, WHT
Louis XVI drop-leaf secretary desk in rosewood and violet wood veneer, 18th century
Wood
Louis XV period marquetry secretary from the mid-18th century
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
A very elegant and rare Louis XV period drop-leaf secretary desk, characteristic of Rococo furniture with its sinuous silhouette and refined proportions.
Marble, Bronze
19th C. Royal Antique Burl Wood Secretary Desk & Black Leather Drop Leaf Top
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Royal Antique Burl Wood Secretary Desk & Black Leather Drop Leaf Top HRH .
Bronze
$1,800Sale Price|62% Off
Late 19th Century Italian Walnut Burl Inlaid Louis XIV Secretary Drop Leaf Desk
Located in Encinitas, CA
Late 19th Century Italian Walnut Burl Inlaid Louis XIV Secretary Drop Leaf Desk. Trim three-drawer bureau chest featuring secretary drop lid with lock and key revealing small drawers...
Walnut
18th century Italian Secretary
Located in Atlanta, GA
Painted and gilded Italian Secretary, drop leaf desk over 3 drawers with 2door upper cabinet
Louis XV Painted Drop Leaf Secretary Desk
Located in New York, NY
Absolutely breathtaking, this Louis XV drop leaf secretary has gorgeous carvings and original bronze hardware. Cabriole legs and working original keys. Painted in a a gorgeous Fren...
19th Century Swiss Drop-Leaf Secretary Desk and Chest
Located in New York, NY
This 19th Century Swiss case piece is comprised of a drop-leaf desktop and a chest of drawers. They are a combination of cherry and pine wood. The brass hardware is original and incl...
Brass
Swedish Style Painted Drop Leaf Secretary or Desk
Located in New York, NY
Antique painted, drop leaf petite secretary or desk with just the perfect patina.
Sold
H 54.75 in W 31.38 in D 15 in
18th Century French Louis XVI Flame Mahogany Secretary or Drop Leaf Desk
Located in Miami, FL
A fine late 18th century French Louis XVI Secretary or drop leaf desk made of beautiful flame mahogany.
Brass
French Faux Bamboo Secretaire
Located in Stamford, CT
Chest of Drawers with drop down front and marble top. Four drawers and drop-leaf secretary desk.
Faux Bamboo
Traditional Secretary Desk with Brass Hardware
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Traditional drop-leaf mahogany secretary desk with three large drawers.
Sold
H 59.75 in W 32.75 in D 20.5 in
French, Faux Bamboo Secretaire Chest of Drawers with Drop Down Desk
Located in Bridport, CT
Four drawers and a drop leaf secretary desk with leather top and additional storage drawers.
Wood
Antique Pine Drop-Leaf Secretary or Desk
Located in Pau, FR
Antique pine drop-leaf secretary or desk. The secretary features plenty of compartments and small drawers, as well as one large drawer with brass pulls.
Brass
$46,000
H 90 in W 45 in D 19.5 in
Edwards and Roberts Antique Inlaid Secretary Desk, 1860-1875, London
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Stately Mahogany inlaid leather top secretary desk, London England 1860-1875 by Cabinetmakers Edwards and Roberts. Moulded cornice over arched glazed panel doors with green fabric li...
Leather, Glass, Mahogany
$6,895
H 44 in W 47 in D 23 in
George III Bureau Desk or Secretary Chest of Mahogany from the 18th Century
Located in Austin, TX
A fine George III slant top desk or bureau secretary chest of patinated mahogany, c.1770 - an inlaid slant front drops to reveal a series of small drawers and document compartments, ...
Metal, Brass
$4,409Sale Price|29% Off
H 61.42 in W 40.16 in D 20.08 in
Biedermeier Walnut and Root Walnut Secretary, South Germany circa 1840
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Charming small Biedermeier Secretary from Southern Germany, crafted around 1840. The piece impresses with its fine walnut and walnut-root veneer on a solid pine body, polished to a w...
Birch, Pine, Walnut
French Empire Secrétaire á Abattant
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A handsome 19th century French Empire secrétaire à abattant made of richly figured, bookmatched walnut. This desk has a black fossil marble top resting above a hidden drawer, free o...
Marble, Brass
$1,800
H 38 in W 38 in D 19.5 in
Antique French Carved Oak Secretary Desk Bureau Drop Front Louis XV Style
Located in Shreveport, LA
Antique French carved oak secretary desk Bureau drop front Louis XV style. Direct from France, a lovely antique French carved “drop front” secretary/desk with quintessential French ...
Oak
Dutch Secretary Desk, Around 1800, Mahogany
Located in Belmont, MA
Dutch secretary desk, Netherlands, around 1800. This elegantly curved secretary desk has three spacious drawers in the lower part. The writing flap opens to a beautiful interior w...
Mahogany
English Mahogany Secretary Desk, 19th Century
Located in Southampton, NY
English Mahogany secretary desk, 19th century Three pieces: Crown, upper drawers and lower cabinet. Lowest draw pulls out as a secretary desk. Measures: 21" deep x 46.5" wide x 80.5"...
Mahogany
$6,966Sale Price|20% Off
H 62.21 in W 44.1 in D 23.23 in
19th-Century Biedermeier Mahogany Secretary Desk in Beautiful Graining
Located in Opole, PL
19th-Century Biedermeier Mahogany Secretary Desk in Beautiful Graining We present you this piece of furniture with three drawers at the bottom, a drop front, and a narrow drawer und...
Baize, Mahogany
$6,455Sale Price|20% Off
H 66.15 in W 38.19 in D 18.9 in
Biedermeier Walnut Secretaire, Antique Desk from Germany, Circa 1830
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This stunning Biedermeier secretary desk is an authentic antique piece crafted from walnut wood, both inside and out. Dating back to the early 19th century, this masterpiece showcase...
Pine, Walnut
French 19th Century Ebonized & Inlay Secretary
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This French Louis XVI style drop front secretary from the 1800s has impressive etched brass inlay on its exterior, which is made even more dramatic by the deep ebonized finish. The t...
Marble, Brass
$56,800
H 64.5 in W 41.75 in D 20.25 in
Antique German Biedermeier Secretaire, Cherrywood & Burlwood, 1820
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A 19th Century, antique German Biedermeier tall secretaire with a writing flap made of hand crafted shellac polished, partly veneered Cherrywood and Burlwood, in good condition. The ...
Metal, Brass
Antique French Secretary
Located in Malibu, CA
This early 19th-century drop-leaf secretaire features the traditional Biedermeier ebony accents, columns, and matched woodgrain pattern. Unlike the high gloss finish of many pieces f...
Brass, Other
Antique Walnut Slant Front Secretary Desk, Queen Anne Style, 1880s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Late 19th century English Queen Anne style slant front desk with three drawers & inner compartments.
Walnut
$290,000
H 136 in Dm 108 in
Exquisite Rotunda Structure Kiosk Copper & Carved Stone Bench Seating Columns
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Exquisite Rotunda Structure Kiosk Copper & Carved Stone Bench Seating Columns . Monumental Exquisite refined work King Charles X Period Rotunda rotundus building structure with a...
Stone, Copper
$2,320Sale Price|20% Off
H 45 in W 66 in D 18 in
Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker
By Baker Furniture Company
Located in Pasadena, TX
Chippendale style mahogany secretary desk by Milling Street Baker 10 drawers with brass pulls. Desk has ample storage space, featuring 10 drawers. Middle section opens to wor...
Burl
$13,467Sale Price|20% Off
H 57.09 in W 37.8 in D 16.74 in
French 18th century J.F. LELEU stamped secretaire à abattant
By Jean-François Leleu
Located in AALSMEER, NL
Exceptionally high quality furniture from an estate of a private collector Louis XVI Mahogany secretaire à abattant By J.F Leleu with its original ‘Bianca Carrara’ marble top with r...
Brass
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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