French Louis Xvi Secretary

Marble Top Secretary

Inlaid Secretary

Louis Xvi Secretaire A Abattant

Secretary Chest Of Drawers

Secretary Marquetry

French Marquetry Secretaire

20th Century French Secretaires

Materials

Wood

French Louis XVI Bronze Mounted Vernis Martin Secretary Desk By Henri Picard

$18,650

$9,180Sale Price|20% Off

Verni Martin secrétaire abattant , circa 1880

Located in Brighton, Sussex

A very good quality late 19th Century French Louis XVI style secretaries abbattant, having bombe shaped sides, gilded rococo style scrolling ormolu mounts.

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires

Materials

Materials

Wood

Louis XVI Period Right Secretary Signed CREPI 18th Century

Unavailable

H 56.3 in W 32.29 in D 16.15 in

Louis XVI Period Right Secretary Signed CREPI 18th Century

By Francois Crepi

Located in VERSAILLES, FR

Secrétaire de Dame de forme rectangulaire en placage de satiné. Il ouvre par un tiroir dans la partie supérieure, un abattant découvrant des casiers et des tiroirs et par deux vanta...

Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Sold

H 55.12 in W 37.8 in D 14.97 in

18th c. Louis XVI Secretary

Located in Madrid, ES

Louis XVI era secretary in walnut.

Materials

Kingwood, Rosewood, Satinwood

Louis XVI Secretary Stamped Ohneberg (Paris)

Sold

Sold

Sold

Sold

Sold

H 86.5 in W 53 in D 23.5 in

18th Century French Secretary

Located in Atlanta, GA

18th Century French Cherry Secretaire- Transitional- Louis XV-Louis XVI. Please Note This Item is an Antique and is One of a Kind.

Materials

Materials

Mahogany

Antique English Regency Rosewood Library Table Writing Desk Gillows Lancaster

$2,611

H 28.75 in W 42.25 in D 23.75 in

Antique English Regency Rosewood Library Table Writing Desk Gillows Lancaster

By Gillows of Lancaster & London

Located in Dublin, Ireland

A Very Imposing example of an English well figured Rosewood Library or Writing Table firmly attributed to renowned Cabinet Makers Gillows of rectangular outline with rounded corners....

Category

Antique Early 19th Century British Regency Side Tables

Materials

Mahogany

An 18th-19th Century Oil on Canvas "The Triumph of Venice" After Paolo Veronese

$59,850Sale Price|52% Off

$2,400

H 54 in W 19 in D 19 in

American Neo-Gothic Carved Walnut Side Chair

Located in New York, NY

An American Neo-Gothic carved walnut side chair. Tall arched back with carved trefoil motif pierced carving and upholstered panel back and seat. Circa.1870 Seat may need to be reuph...

Category

Antique 19th Century Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Walnut

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French Louis Xvi Secretary For Sale on 1stDibs

At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal French louis xvi secretary for your home. Each French louis xvi secretary for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, metal and mahogany. There are many kinds of the French louis xvi secretary you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 18th Century to those made as recently as the 20th Century. When you’re browsing for the right French louis xvi secretary, those designed in Louis XVI styles are of considerable interest. You’ll likely find more than one French louis xvi secretary that is appealing in its simplicity, but Georges Jacob, Henry Dasson and Leonard Boudin produced versions that are worth a look.

How Much is a French Louis Xvi Secretary?

A French louis xvi secretary can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $4,800, while the lowest priced sells for $1,695 and the highest can go for as much as $153,977.

A Close Look at Louis Xvi Furniture

Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.

Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.

Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.

The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.

Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Finding the Right Secretaires for You

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.