$15,791Sale Price|25% Off
French Transition Period secretary c. 1760 Jean-Francois Dubut
Located in Münster, DE
Secretary à battant - Jean-Francois Dubut Elaborately crafted bureau à battant, Paris circa 1760, Transition, Jean-Francois Dubut rosewood, amaranth, violet and ebony veneered on o...
Marble
$9,039Sale Price|20% Off
À battant” secretary desk Jean Nicolas Adriaansen Antwerp ca. 1825/30
Located in Münster, DE
“À battant” secretary desk, Jean Nicolas Adriaansen, Antwerp, ca. 1825/30 Mahogany, solid and veneered, symmetrically designed body with full columns and bronze capitals, top draw...
Marble, Bronze
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
Antique French Empire Flame Mahogany Abattant with Figural Ormolu 19thC
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique French Empire abattant secretary offers flame mahogany construction with upper drawer over drop front desk opening to interior with pigeon holes and drawers, surmounting l...
Ormolu
Swiss Early 19th Century Empire Bureau Cabinet, Signed Hirschgartner
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
This fine Empire drop-front secretary (secrétaire a'abattant or secrétaire en armoire) with a writing and standing desk is signed M.
Marble
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
19th Century French Empire Secrétaire à Abattant, Mahogany & Marble
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A pair of simple, round brass pulls on each drawer allow easy access. This Empire-style secretary features eye-catching bookmatched mahogany and traditional Empire columns down each ...
Marble, Brass
19th Century Biedermeier Nutwood Secretary Desk/ Secretaire, Austria ca. 1820/25
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Influenced by the previous empire epoch, this superb, antique secretary is adorned by two beautifully worked full columns.
Brass
A fine 19th c Biedermeier birch secretary. Ebonized details and gilt bronze
Located in Dallas, TX
A very fine Biedermeier period drop front secretary. Fine Empire gilt bronze details . Ebonized details .
Bronze
Empire Secretaire, Walnut, Maple, Paw Feet, Austria circa 1815
Located in Regensburg, DE
Fine Early Biedermeier or late Empire Secretaire / Drop-Front /Secretary Desk from Austria around 1815-20.
Brass, Gold Leaf
$27,723Sale Price|25% Off
Mahogany and Gilded Bronze Cylinder Desk, Empire Style, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Large cylinder desk in mahogany and flamed mahogany veneer in the Empire style. This secretary with semi-cylindrical flap has eight drawers with palmette keys on the front: five on t...
Marble, Bronze
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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