Italian Florentine Giltwood Bureau Secretary Butlers Desk Chest
Located in Forney, TX
A Florentine carved cream painted parcel gilt slant-top desk bureau with nicely aged dark warm
Brass
Sold
H 37 in W 28 in D 15 in
Hollywood Regency Era Italian Florentine Petite Gilded Secretary / Writing Desk
Located in Kennesaw, GA
For the Florentine collector, this is a rare find! It is a petite secretary with lovely fold out
Poplar, Giltwood
Sold
H 92 in W 41 in D 17 in
Lo Studiolo di Ponziani Florentine Chinoiserie HandPainted Secretary Desk Italy
By Ponziani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
secretary desk Ponziani Firenze. Painted brilliant lemon yellow, beautiful and substantial wooden piece of
Wood
Sold
H 88 in W 46 in D 23 in
Coke Bottle Form Italian Rococo Olivewood Secretary Desk with Patinated Mirror
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a drop-dead gorgeous olivewood Italian Rococo Florentine style secretary desk. The desk has
Mirror, Olive
Italian Regency Florentine Trompe l'oeil Secretary Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Impressive Italian regency two-part Trompe l'oeil secretaire with a drop-front desk made in
Brass
$460
H 14 in W 9.75 in D 7.25 in
Murano Glass Vanity Mirror with Gold Flake Flowers 1950s Italy Venetian, Venice
By Murano Glass Sommerso
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous Murano glass vanity mirror surrounded with handmade clear gold flake flowers. Can be used as a wall mirror or standing mirror. With minor signs of wear as expected with ag...
Mirror, Murano Glass, Wood
Sold|$975
H 31 in W 30.5 in D 15 in
Italian Renaissance Florentine Style Three Drawer Commode Chest of Drawers
By Florentine
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional diminutive three drawer dresser by The Florentine Furniture Co, Made in Italy c. 1970's. The chest features a shapely Bombay sided case with incised and gilt surfaces, ca...
Wood
Mappa Burl Wood Venner Sculptural Console Table
By Panorammma
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
A console table which’s minimalist qualities are clocked by a clasic burl wood veneer. The mappa burl’s patterns grant the object an eccentric elegance while its brutalist structure ...
Wood, Burl
18th Century French Walnut Louis XV Provincial Buffet
Located in Southampton, NY
18th century French walnut Louis XV Provincial Buffet A period handcrafted buffet made of solid walnut with three drawers above two beveled doors opening to a single shelf open. Ori...
Walnut
Giltwood Chinoiserie Bamboo Oval Footstool
Located in Stamford, CT
Small oval antique giltwood bamboo stool. Black painted banded detailing: Newly upholstered in Schumacher Nakuru epingle woven fabric with gimp trim.
Giltwood
$580
H 13.39 in W 10.63 in D 7.49 in
Mid-Century Venetian Murano Glass Table Mirror, Italian Design 1960s
Located in Palermo, IT
Mid-Century Venetian Murano glass table mirror, Italian design 1960s It can also be used as a wall mirror. It has always belonged to my family. Intact and in good condition, small si...
Murano Glass
A George I Style Burl Walnut Secretary Desk, England
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A beautifully detailed and well appointed Georgian style secretary desk, made in England. The dovetailed drawers with brass hardware with a leather fall front section above the draw...
Leather, Walnut
Antique English Barbola Dresser Vanity Table Mirror, circa 1920
Located in Pearland, TX
A fine antique English barbola dressing table or vanity mirror with easel, circa 1920. This beautiful mirror has beveled glass and is crowned with a gesso floral swag. It would be lo...
Gesso, Mirror
Italian Octagonal Venetian / Murano Glass Mirror
By Murano Glass Sommerso
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite antique Italian mirror is a rare find, sourced in the South of France, and showcases exceptional craftsmanship. The octagonal frame is adorned with meticulously twiste...
Glass
$1,800,000
H 27 in W 24 in D 2.5 in
Pierre Auguste Renoir Portrait de femme - Berthe Poret
By Pierre Auguste Renoir
Located in Los Angeles, CA
PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) Portrait de femme - Berthe Poret bears signature (lower left) oil on canvas 17 15/16 x 14 3/4 in (45.5 x 37.4 cm) Painted between 1862-1863 Footn...
Canvas, Oil
La Carmencita by John Singer Sargent
By John Singer Sargent
Located in New Orleans, LA
John Singer Sargent 1856-1925 American Stamped by artist's estate (en verso) Oil on canvas John Singer Sargent, widely regarded as one of history's most distinguished portraitists...
Canvas, Oil
$11,129
H 66 in W 35 in D 28 in
French Château de Chasse, Sedan Chair, Original Unrestored, circa 1740
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
French Château de Chasse, Sedan Chair, Original Unrestored Circa 1740 Very Rare, this piece was discovered neglected in cellar of a Château in the West of France, it was used by the...
Paint
$8,760Sale Price|58% Off
H 96.07 in W 124.02 in D 0.3 in
Wool & Silk Tapestry Noah's Ark Vintage Handwoven Aubusson Tapestry 8x10
Located in New York, NY
Fine Wool & Silk Tapestry Noahs Ark Vintage Handwoven Aubusson 8x10 8' x 10'4" 244 cm x 315cm "Rare Wool & Silk handwoven tapestry depicting an elaborate scene from...
Wool
Antique Georgian Style Writing Bureau
Located in London, GB
A smart and beautifully designed antique Georgian style bureau. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1950’s. It is of superb quality, it is great looking and extremely...
Leather, Wood
$29,000
H 95.25 in W 99.5 in D 23 in
Extraordinary And Monumental Antique Mahogany Bookcase Breakfront
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A very fine and extremely well-crafted Breakfront in the English Style with great size and incredible attention to detail which includes Dove-Tail joinery. With particularly well-cho...
Glass, Mahogany
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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