Magnificent Italian Baroque Secretary, circa 1700
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The upper case with swept pediment and stepped molded edge fitted with 11 drawers and an arched door. The lower case with a slant front opening over a well above three long drawers e...
Maple, Olive
Antique Italian Baroque Style Burl Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Miami, FL
Italian Baroque style walnut veneer secretary cabinet, early 20th century. The top part of the
Mirror, Walnut
Italian Early 18th Century Baroque Walnut Secretary-Bookcase
Located in Troy, NY
Italian Early 18th Century Baroque Walnut Secretary-Bookcase with beautiful, thick walnut radica
Walnut, Mirror
$2,250
H 72 in W 24 in D 17 in
Vintage Italian Baroque Style Burl Veneer Secretary Bookcase, 20th Century
Located in Morristown, NJ
An elegant Italian Baroque-style secretary bookcase, 20th century, crafted in richly figured burl
Metal
Italian Baroque Style Burl Walnut Secretary Desk Cabinet
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A fine Italian baroque burl walnut secretary desk with a cartouche form mirrored panel beneath a
Brass
$8,500
H 36.63 in W 42 in D 21.5 in
18th Century Italian Baroque Inlaid Walnut Drop-Front Secretary Desk / Commode
Located in Miami, FL
18th Century Italian Baroque Inlaid Walnut Drop-Front Secretary Desk / Commode, Antique Italian
Brass
19th Century Italian Painted Secretary, Bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century Italian painted secretary ~ bookcase is a fanciful and marvelous expression of the
Wood
$21,547
H 80.71 in W 48.04 in D 23.63 in
Austrian Baroque Secretary Cabinet in Walnut with Marquetry, ca. 1700–1730
Located in Kastrup, DK
A highly impressive and architecturally refined Austrian Baroque secretary cabinet from the first
Brass, Iron
$8,200
H 44.1 in W 46.86 in D 23.63 in
Exceptional 18th-Century Italian Slant-Front Bureau / Secretary
Located in Rio De Janeiro, BR
Exceptional 18th-Century Italian Slant-Front Bureau / Secretary This remarkable Italian bureau
Wood
Italian Florentine Giltwood Bureau Secretary Butlers Desk Chest
Located in Forney, TX
distressed patina over the whole! Crafted in Florence, Italy, circa pre-1940, executed in 18th century Louis
Brass
$2,195
H 75.5 in W 41 in D 17 in
Italian Olive Burl Wood Bombe Secretary Vanity with Display Top & Matching Chair
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous Italian bombe drop front secretary cabinet in olive wood with the matching chair. Bookcase
Brass
$33,686
H 91.74 in W 39.38 in D 21.66 in
Original 18th Century Venetian Secretary Desk Bookcase burled walnut with inlaid
By Bassano's Ebanisteria
Located in Vigonza, Padua
What makes this piece unique and special is its originali twist to the characteristic Secretaire, a must-have object among Venetian aristocratic families that could not be missing in...
Walnut
$21,655
H 39.77 in W 49.22 in D 20.48 in
Secretary Desk 700s Lombard by "Bottega Milanese Dei Valentini", walnut & burl
By Bottega Milanese dei Valentni
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Important precious desk bureau production of on 19th century by "Bottega Milanese dei Valentini", restored and polished to wax. The piece of furniture is made of solid walnut and b...
Walnut
$6,496
H 41.34 in W 41.74 in D 21.66 in
1920s Lombard Secretary Desk Commode in Walnut & Burl Veneer, Threaded Maple
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Early 20th Century Lombard Secretary Desk Commode in Walnut & burl Veneer, Threaded of Maple
Walnut, Burl
Italian 18th Century Baroque Secretary
Located in Bantam, CT
A fine North Italian Baroque 18th century olivewood and ebonized secretary bookcase with serpentine
Olive
Italian Baroque secretary-bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
18th century Italian secretary in excellent condition circa 1720. Very properly fitted, this
Walnut
Italian Early 1900s Baroque Painted Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
This intriguing desk is a testament to the ingenuity and stylistic flair of Italian artisans and
Antique Italian Baroque Hand-Painted Bombe Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
, this Antique Italian Baroque bombe secretary features original artwork on all three gracefully curved
Italian Baroque Style Painted Secretary, 20th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
Mid-20th century Italian Baroque style painted secretary with display cabinet, pull-out desk and
Paint
Italian Late Baroque Carved Walnut Secretary Commode
Located in Atlanta, GA
Likely from the Umbria region of Italy, the rectangular top above a conforming case, the top drawer
Walnut
Antique Italian Baroque Style Burl Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Cypress, CA
Antique Italian Baroque style burl walnut secretary cabinet.
Burl, Walnut
Sold
H 90 in W 38 in D 24.5 in
Early 18th C Italian Baroque Figured Walnut Secretary w/ Architectural Pediment
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 18th Century Italian Baroque Figured Walnut Secretary with Architectural Pediment, Arched
Walnut
Sold
H 83 in W 43 in D 19 in
Vintage Italian Baroque Style Marquetry Inlay Flip-Up Secretary Display Cabinet
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Italian Baroque Style Marquetry Inlay Carved Flip-Down Secretary Display Cabinet A
Glass, Wood
Sicilian Baroque Style Painted Wood Secretary Bookcase
Located in Atlanta, GA
Having original green paint trimmed in gold, the shallow upper section with a molded edge top and having three shelves, the lower section with a slant front folding desk housing two ...
Mid-Century Italian Baroque Carved Walnut Secretary Chest of Drawers
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant, multi-function antique chest was created in Italy, circa 1960. Siting on bracket feet
Walnut
Northern Italian, Lombardia, Walnut & Mixed Veneer Secretary Cabinet
Located in Atlanta, GA
the two piece cabinet expertly veneered in an array of woods, walnut being primary, the upper with mirrored doors opening to reveal 28 drawers, the lower with a slant front hinged fa...
Walnut
Sold
H 45.75 in W 52 in D 28 in
Impressive 18th Century Northern Italian Inlaid Bureau with Secretary Desk
Located in Richmond, VA
Impressive 18th century northern Italian inlaid bureau with secretary desk. Incredible inlay work
Olive, Walnut, Burl
18th Century, Italian Walnut Burl Veneer Small Three-Drawer Secretary
Located in Austin, TX
A lovely Venetian burl veneered three-drawer secretary, Italy, 18th century. The secretary of
Walnut, Fruitwood, Burl
Sold
H 87 in W 45 in D 22.5 in
Italian, Emilia Romagna, Walnut and Inlaid Secretary Cabinet, 2nd half 19th cen.
Located in Atlanta, GA
Of two piece construction, the upper section having an arched and open pediment with double drawers between canted corners, the outside surface with pattern inlays, the doors opening...
Walnut
19th Century Venetian Style Secretary Bureau Bookcase
Located in Madrid, ES
Venetian style bookcase, made of walnut root. follows the models of the eighteenth century, The furniture is divided into two parts, bottom with three large drawers and two small at...
Bronze
Sold
H 95.5 in W 40 in D 22 in
19th Century Venetian Secretary Bookcase with Painted Scenes and Floral Sprays
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very lovely painted green and yellow Italian fall-front secretary bookcase in the Venetian
Paint
Italian Baroque Style Drop-Front Secretary
Located in Astoria, NY
Italian Baroque Revival Drop Front Cabinet Secretary, in walnut and ash parquetry with curved
Mirror, Walnut
Italian Baroque Style Inlaid Walnut Bureau Secretary
By Alfonso Marina
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impressive Italian Baroque style walnut secretaries or bureau that has been intricately inlaid
Bronze
Sold
H 93 in W 46 in D 21 in
Italian Colombo Mobili Baroque Style Burl Walnut Fitted Interior Secretary Desk
By Colombo Mobili
Located in Long Branch, NJ
Italian Colombo Mobili Baroque Style Burl Walnut Fitted Interior Secretary Desk Dimensions : 93
Walnut
Antique Venetian Paint Decorated Secretary Bookcase
Located in Bridgeport, CT
decoration. With a serpentine baroque crest with a gilt landscape in the center cartouche flanked by colorful
Wood
19th Century Painted Venetian Secretary or Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
An early 19th century Baroque style Venetian polychrome painted pine tall secretary, in two parts
Pine
19th Century Venetian Style Secretary Bureau Bookcase
Located in Madrid, ES
Venetian style bookcase, made of walnut root. follows the models of the 18th century, The furniture is divided into two parts, bottom with three large drawers and two small at the t...
Bronze
Gorgeous Walnut Baroque Style Secretary
Located in Larkspur, CA
20th Century Italian Grand Scale Burl Walnut Baroque Style Twin Door Drop Front Secretary, the
Walnut
Italian Baroque Style Secretary
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Style Walnut Secretary.
Baroque Walnut Secretary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An extraordinary Italian Writing Desk is beautifully crafted out of solid wood finished with walnut
Brass
1970"s Italian Solid Burl Walnut Bibliotheque/ Secretary
Located in San Francisco, CA
Beautiful Italian Burl Walnut Bibliotheque / Secretary Desk Circa 1970's Height of drop-down
18th c Paint and Parcel Gilt Mirrored Door Secretary Bookcase
Located in Natchez, MS
18th c. Paint and Parcel Gilt Etched Mirror Door Secretary Bookcase with family crest.
Giltwood
Antique Chinese Carved Canopy Bed with Alcove
Located in Buffalo, NY
Mid to late 19th century, elaborately carved, antique Chinese bed Chambers was used to greet visitors and usually was furnished with two chairs and a center table: from which tea, wi...
Lacquer, Wood
$18,612
H 32.49 in W 83.08 in D 44.49 in
FINE GEORGE SMITH HOWARD SiGNATURE SCROLL ARM SOFA MULBERRY FLYING DUCKS VELVET
By Mulberry, George Smith
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this brand new, George Smith Signature Scroll Arm large sofa with feather filled back and base cushions upho...
Upholstery, Beech, Oak
$7,203Sale 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
$102,262
H 101.19 in W 137.8 in D 19.3 in
19th Century Walnut Pair of Bookcases Boiserie de Bibliothèque
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A rare pair of heliocodal French Directoire library bookcases in solid walnut. This type of bookcases is also known as 'boiseries de Bibliothèque' as they often, together with pannel...
Walnut
George III Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Westwood, NJ
Elegant Georgian style cabinet with classical pediment, geometric glazing bars over the twin doors with three adjustable shelves within, the lower section with a fall front, fully li...
Mahogany
$26,000
H 102 in W 61.5 in D 79 in
English Georgian Mahogany Gadrooned and Upholstered Tester Bed, Circa 1800
Located in Charleston, SC
English Georgian mahogany four-poster bed with a carved molded inset headboard, tapered head post, serpentine gadrooned and upholstered tester with a centered carved urn & swags, dec...
Upholstery, Mahogany
18th Century Swedish Secretary
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
18th Century Swedish secretary with a decorative carved pediment. Composed below doors opening to storage with below fall front desk opening to the drawer. Storage and workspace, be...
Wood
$117,190
H 240 in W 552 in D 120 in
Mid-Victorian Moorish wrought & cast iron pergola or decorative garden structure
Located in London, GB
A monumental Moorish mid-Victorian wrought iron Pergola or Decorative Garden Structure, a unique masterpiece in High Victorian Ironwork design. Our research confirms it is French, da...
Wrought Iron
French Walnut and Bronze Vanity with Candelabra Arms
Located in Miami, FL
A fine French Louis XVI style dressing table with bronze decorations, having a kidney-shaped top with a gilt bronze frame and a superstructure supporting an oval mirror flanked by gi...
Bronze
19th Century Venetian Armoire
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautiful Italian armoire made up of exceptional carved and painted panels.
French Inspired Upholstered Linen Bergère Chairs
Located in Old Town Orange, CA
French inspired upholstered linen bergère chairs These French inspired chair are based on an original Napoleon III style pair of chairs. Napoleon III was the nephew of the Napoleon t...
Linen
Sold|$57,747
H 100.01 in W 155.52 in D 132.68 in
Italian Walnut 18th Century Library Bookcase Panneling
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A good late 18th century Italian neoclassical library room panneling. This room consists of one central bookcase with a tympan centerpiece. At both sides angle cabinets with hand blo...
Walnut
$9,500
H 17.5 in W 21.125 in D 12 in
17th Century Italian Milano Renaissance Period Bone Ivory Ebony Tabletop Cabinet
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce nearly 400 year old fine quality Italian Lombard ebony rosewood bone and ivory tabletop curiosity cabinet with warm rich beautifully aged patina and interesting provenance. ...
Brass, Bronze
$6,400
H 83 in W 38 in D 22 in
Very Fine Olive Burl Wood 83" Tall Secretary Desk Cabinet Chest of Drawers MINT!
By Baker Furniture Company
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Very Fine Compact Burl Wood Queen Ann Secretary Desk Bookcase Dresser Drawers MINT!
Brass
$117,902
H 51.58 in W 66.93 in D 21.66 in
French Art Deco Sideboard in Thuya from Christian Krass in Outstanding Quality
By Christian Krass
Located in Ulm, DE
Sideboard of very fine quality Signed: "Christian Krass" Christian Krass was in close collaboration with the ebenist Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann. The design language of this premium fu...
Bronze
German Baroque Chest of Drawers
Located in Hanover, MA
German Baroque chest of three drawers, mid-18th century, walnut veneer and marquetry panels, semi-gloss finish, serpentine front. Brass fittings. Working locks and key. Beautifully r...
Walnut
The decadence of the Baroque style, in which ornate furnishings were layered against paneled walls, painted ceilings, stately chandeliers and, above all, gilding, expressed the power of the church and monarchy through design that celebrated excess. And its influence was omnipresent — antique Baroque furniture was created in the first design style that truly had a global impact.
Theatrical and lavish, Baroque was prevalent across Europe from the 17th to mid-18th century and spread around the world through colonialism, including in Asia, Africa and the Americas. While Baroque originated in Italy and achieved some of its most fantastic forms in the late-period Roman Baroque, it was adapted to meet the tastes and materials in each region. French Baroque furniture informed Louis XIV style and added drama to Versailles. In Spain, the Baroque movement influenced the elaborate Churrigueresque style in which architecture was dripping with ornamental details. In South German Baroque, furniture was made with bold geometric patterns.
Compared to Renaissance furniture, which was more subdued in its proportions, Baroque furniture was extravagant in all aspects, from its shape to its materials.
Allegorical and mythical figures were often sculpted in the wood, along with motifs like scrolling floral forms and acanthus leaves that gave the impression of tangles of dense foliage. Novel techniques and materials such as marquetry, gesso and lacquer — which were used with exotic woods and were employed by cabinetmakers such as André-Charles Boulle, Gerrit Jensen and James Moore — reflected the growth of international trade. Baroque furniture characteristics include a range of decorative elements — a single furnishing could feature everything from carved gilded wood to gilt bronze, lending chairs, mirrors, console tables and other pieces a sense of motion.
Find a collection of authentic antique Baroque tables, lighting, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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.