$7,345Sale Price|20% Off
Biedermeier Antique Secretary Circa 1840 Veneered With Mahogany
Located in Opole, PL
The monumental shape of the piece, reminiscent of architectural structures, suggests a German workshop. The secretary features three drawers, a fold-down top aligned with the rest of...
Mahogany
$8,381Sale Price|20% Off
Biedermeier Secretary Desk, 19th Century, Restored, French Polish Finish
Located in Wrocław, Poland
An elegant 19th century secretary desk, professionally restored to a high standard.
Wood
Neoclassical Cylinder Secretary Desk with Clock, circa 1780
Located in Greding, DE
Significant neoclassical cylinder secretary resting on six tapered square legs, canted at the corners. The lower commode section, with two drawers, projects slightly in a risalit for...
Brass
Baroque Slant-Front Secretary in Walnut, Mid-18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque secretary with three drawers and a serpentine front, featuring a fall-front writing surface and an upper tabernacle with a tall door and ten small drawers. The piece is crow...
Brass
$8,946Sale Price|20% Off
Early 19th Century Secretary, Birch and Birch burl veneered
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Secretary Desk, circa 1820, Braunschweig An exceptional secretary desk from around 1820, crafted in Braunschweig. This elegant piece is made of birch and birch burl, veneered with f...
Birch
Modernist Secretary Cabinet, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Metal, Customizable
By GMD Berlin
Located in Berlin, DE
German modernism free-standing secretary cabinet designed and manufactured by GMD Berlin.
Steel
Modernist Secretary Showcase, Chrome Plated Steel, Lacquered Wood, Customizable
By GMD Berlin
Located in Berlin, DE
Modernist secretary showcase made of chrome-plated tubular steel, lacquered wood and glass. Customizable, production time: 10-11 weeks.
Steel, Chrome
Antique Biedermeier Secretary shelve circa 1810 Cuba Mahogany veneer
Located in Berlin, DE
High-quality Cuba mahogany on solid oak . Rectangular body on pointed legs. Provided with three drawers . Straight writing tablet, behind it architectural interior with 5 columns. Se...
Mahogany
White-Painted Secretary Desk with Glazed Cabinet, 18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Elegant secretary desk with glazed upper cabinet and a gracefully broken arched pediment. The softly patinated finish in pale blue-gray lends the piece a charming antique character. ...
Brass
Modernist Secretary Showcase, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Metal, Customizable
By GMD Berlin
Located in Berlin, DE
German modernism 'Dahlem' secretary showcase designed and manufactured by GMD Berlin.
Steel
Mid-18th Century Baroque Secretary Cabinet in Walnut Veneer
Located in Greding, DE
An elegant Baroque secretary cabinet from Saxony, crafted in the mid-18th century. The lower section consists of a three-drawer commode with a curved apron and S-shaped legs. Above, ...
Walnut
Early 19th Century Empire Mahogany Secretary Desk, circa 1810
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Early 19th Century Empire Mahogany Secretary Desk, circa 1810 An exceptional and rare Empire period secrétaire, crafted circa 1810, beautifully veneered in richly figured mahogany a...
Brass
19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Secretary Desk with Mirror Interior, 1820
Located in Berlin, DE
This elegant 19th century Biedermeier secretary is crafted in beautifully figured walnut veneer and showcases the refined proportions and restrained elegance characteristic of the Bi...
Walnut, Pine
Jürgen Lange, Secretary mod. Privé for Rosenthal Einrichtung, 1980
By Jürgen Lange
Located in Saarbrücken, SL
The secretary mod. "Privé" by Jürgen Lange is formally characterized by the interplay of horizontal surfaces and slopes. The result is a furniture "sculpture" that combines the advan...
Leather, Acrylic, Wood
Art Deco Walnut Burl Secretary Desk by Adolf Gustav Schneck, 1924
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
An exceptional and documented German avant-garde secretary desk / writing cabinet designed by the renowned architect and designer Prof.
Walnut
Baroque Secretary with Upper Cabinet in Walnut, 18th/19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque fall-front secretary veneered in walnut, featuring a commode base with three drawers and a slightly convex front. The upper cabinet has two doors and a shaped cornice, fitted...
Bronze
18th Century Baroque Secretary or Writing Desk in Walnut
Located in Dusseldorf, DE
Exceptional Baroque secretary or writing desk, probably from southern Germany, around 1760.
Nutwood, Walnut, Pine
Louis Philippe Secretary Desk, Second Half of the 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Louis Philippe secretary desk veneered in mahogany, featuring a flat writing flap, two-door lower cabinet, and a top drawer. The piece stands on ball-and-claw feet that transition in...
Mahogany
Baroque Secretary à Trois Corps in Walnut, Mid-18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Impressive Baroque secretary in three sections ("à trois corps"), raised on compressed bun feet and veneered in fine walnut. The lower commode section comprises three drawers, with t...
Walnut
19th Century Biedermeier Chest Of Drawers with Secretary Compartement, c. 1830
Located in Greven, DE
Biedermeier Chest Of Drawers with Secretary Attachment Baden-Wuerttemberg Walnut Biedermeier around 1830 Dimensions: H x W x D: 118 x 118 x 61 cm Description: Three-drawer chest o...
Walnut
A fine 19th century Biedermeier satinwood birch and ebony secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
A very fine 19th century Biedermeier satinwood and Birch secretary . Ebony and fine quality inlayed woods .
Birch, Ebony, Satinwood
$8,381Sale Price|20% Off
Walnut and plum Baroque Secretary à deux corps around 1760
Located in Münster, DE
Secretary à deux corps Baroque around 1760 Walnut and plum veneered on softwood, lower part with concave corrus and three drawers, two-door top with symmetrically arranged compart...
Wood, Nutwood
Museum Biedermeier Secretary Signed by Adolph Friedrich Voigt, circa 1825
Located in Berlin, DE
Museum Biedermeier secretary signed by Adolph Friedrich Voigt, circa 1825 Fire-gilt fittings. High quality Cuba mahogany on solid linden wood. Architecturally structured front. Rect...
Wood, Mahogany
Biedermeier Cylinder Secretary Desk, von Arnim/Boitzenburg Provenance, ca. 1810
Located in Berlin, DE
Dieses Biedermeier Zylinderbureau, entstanden am Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts, stellt ein herausragendes Zeugnis deutscher Ebenistenkunst dar und besticht gleichermaßen durch seine ar...
Oak, Walnut
Antique Painted Gustavian Grey/White Secretary with Fall-Front & Birch Interior
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very lovely Louis Philippe fall-front secretary in pine with a light Gustavian-grey/white painted finish, and original French-polished birch wood interior.
Brass
$13,844Sale Price|30% Off
Walnut and walnut burl Baroque Secretary à deux corps Saxony around 1760
Located in Münster, DE
Secretary à deux corps Baroque, Saxony c. 1740, walnut and walnut burl veneer, sloping lid, 2-door top with sprung gable and beautiful interior division, 3-tier, double-arched chest...
Wood, Nutwood
Biedermeier Secretary w. Transfer Decoration, J. G. Hiltl (1771–1845), Mun. 1825
By Johann Georg Hiltl
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier secretary veneered in mahogany with thuja burl and green-patinated surfaces, adorned with gilt-bronze mounts. The writing flap features a transfer-printed architectural i...
Bronze
Top-mounted secretary desk with slanted flap Baroque ca. 1760 walnut and burl
Located in Münster, DE
Top-mounted secretary desk with slanted flap Baroque, circa 1760, walnut and burl veneer, lower section with 2 hinged doors and a slanted flap, 2-door top section with arched pedime...
Wood, Nutwood, Burl
A fine Biedermeier period walnut and inlayed roll top secretary. Circa 1830
Located in Dallas, TX
A very fine and rare Biedermeier walnut roll top secretary . Fine satinwood inlay . French polished and ready to place. Several drawers and compartments for storage .
Satinwood, Walnut
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 . Beautiful walnut and birch woods
Bronze
Louis XVI Cabinet with Secretaire, South Germany 1780
Located in Leimen, DE
Condition: Expertly refinished in Germany, this antique secretary cabinet is in excellent condition.
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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