$14,100
H 48.75 in W 23.75 in D 16.25 in
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Tulipwood Kingwood and Ebony Drop Front Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A very handsome and high quality French 19th century Louis XVI St. tulipwood, kingwood and ebony
Ormolu
18th century Louis XVI Walnut Bureau, France
Located in Atlanta, GA
An 18th century French Louis XVI Bureau in Walnut with drop front, inner writing surface and cubby
Brass
$3,295
H 35.75 in W 35 in D 15.75 in
Maison Forest Style French Regency Louis XVI Kingwood Writing Desk, Circa 1900
By Maison Forest
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique French Regency Louis XVI style bureau de pente drop front ladies writing desk
Bronze
$3,995
H 60.13 in W 29.75 in D 17.13 in
Karges French Regency Louis XVI Cream Lacquered Hand Painted Secrétaire á Abatta
By Karges Furniture
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Regency Louis XVI style bureau with drop front secretary desk By Karges USA
Brass
French 19th Century Ebonized & Inlay Secretary
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This French Louis XVI style drop front secretary from the 1800s has impressive etched brass inlay
Marble, Brass
Unavailable
H 69 in W 34 in D 15 in
Converted Dresser Cabinet 3-Way Mirror Inside Louis XVI Secretary, Reduced
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
French vanity 3 drawer' cabinet converted from a Louis XVI drop front French secretaire D'Abattant
Mahogany
Drop front secretaire
Located in New York, NY
A Louis XVI period drop front secretaire, mahogany with blonde wood, gilt bronze mounts, white
Marble
Louis XVI Drop Front Desk, France 1780-1800, Walnut Root Veneer
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite Louis XVI drop front desk, France 1780, walnut root veneer with details in cherry, plum
Boxwood, Cherry, Walnut
Rare French Louis XVI Drop-Front Desk/Chest of Drawers
Located in Austin, TX
French antique Louis XVI style chest of drawers with drop-front desk in solid, ebonized cherry wood
Brass, Gold Leaf
Louis XVI Secretaire Desk, circa 1790
Located in Doylestown, PA
A nice Louis XVI drop-front secretaire desk in blonde walnut, circa 1790, with its original grey
Walnut
Sold
H 55.91 in W 31.89 in D 16.54 in
Louis XVI Secretaire a Abattant, Attributed to F.N. Geny, Lyon, circa 1780
By François-Noël Geny
Located in Berlin, DE
A 18th century Louis XVI drop-front secretaire (secrétaire à abattant), attributed to the
Bronze
Antique Louis XVI Period Drop Front Desk
Located in Austin, TX
French antique Louis XVI period drop front desk of solid cherrywood. With a secret compartment
Cherry
Vintage Louis XVI Style Walnut Drop Front Cabinet
Located in Austin, TX
Stylish French vintage Louis XVI style drop front cabinet disguised as a chest of drawers, with
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Drop Front Louis XVI Secretaire
Located in Encinitas, CA
Italian drop front two-drawer secretaire, solid light color walnut, bronze pulls, door concealing
Walnut
Louis XVI Solid Walnut Drop Front "Secretaire"
Located in Austin, TX
Louis XVI style solid walnut "secretaire" with brass trim and hardware, red leather writing surface
Brass
French Antique Louis XVI Style Drop-Front Secretaire
Located in Austin, TX
French Louis XVI style drop-front secretaire of solid cherrywood with inlays, hand-carved fluting
Cherry
Swedish Drop Front Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 19th century Swedish Drop Front Desk, Circa 1820. Original Hardware
Antique French Louis XVI Style Inlaid Mahogany Secretaire à Abattant
Located in South Bend, IN
A beautiful petite antique French Louis XVI style drop front secretary desk France, Circa Late
Brass
Sold
H 48 in W 24 in D 12 in
Gilt Bronze Mounted 18th Century Louis XVI Mahogany and Satinwood Abbatant
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A small scale Louis XVI abbatant (drop front desk) and chest of drawers in mahogany and satinwood
Mahogany, Satinwood
French Drop Front Secretary Desk
Located in Bradenton, FL
A very nice flame Mahogany 18th century Louis XVI Drop front secretary desk with a nicely fitted
Mahogany
Louis XVI French Antique Drop Front Desk
Located in Austin, TX
Antique Louis XVI style desk from France solid figured walnut with brass trim and hardware. There
Brass
Sold
H 40 in W 28.5 in D 16.63 in
Landstrom French Regency Louis XVI Carved Mahogany Drop Front Secretary Desk
By Landstrom Furniture
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Regency Louis XVI style drop front secretary desk By Landstrom Furniture USA
Brass
Sold
H 41 in W 38 in D 20 in
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Period Burl Elm Drop Front Desk with Leather
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late eighteenth century French Louis XVI period drop front desk is constructed of burl elm
Bronze
French Flamed Mahogany Louis XVI Secretaire
Located in Austin, TX
Beautiful French Louis XVI style drop front Secretaire of solid and flamed Cuban Mahogany. Gilt
Carrara Marble
Louis XVI Style Drop Front Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
is very sturdy. This Louis XVI lacquered drop top desk is elegant and ready to be used in any home or
Brass
Marquetry Drop Front Desk
Located in Pataskala, OH
well: the full-width front storage drawer, the fold-down top that opens to become a work surface, the
$37,906
H 42.13 in W 83.47 in D 32.29 in
A Large French Louis XV Canapé en Corbeille, Walnut - Louis Delanois JME
By Louis Delanois
Located in Göttingen, NI
A Large French Louis XV Canapé en Corbeille, carved walnut Master Louis Delanois JME c. 1760 Provenance: Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier França...
Walnut
$24,000 / set
H 42 in W 33 in D 26 in
French Pair of Louis XVI Style Marquise Bergere Giltwood Armchairs
Located in Montreal, Quebec
French pair of Louis XVI style marquise bergère armchairs, gilt wood, 19th century. In the clean and classic Louis XVI style, the name Marquise is attributed due to their exceptiona...
Velvet, Wood
French 19th Century Walnut Secretary Desk
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A wonderful walnut secretary desk from 19th century France. The desk can be separated into two bodies: a lower writing surface, and the upper glass-front cabinet. The top cabinet ha...
Walnut, Leather, Glass
$7,400
H 39.75 in W 42.25 in D 20.25 in
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Pinewood Secretary - Antique Scandinavian Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A 19th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian one part bureau, secretary made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, in good condition. The Scandinavian writing table, desk is composed with a...
Metal
$3,900Sale Price|50% Off
H 39 in W 50 in D 23 in
19th Century Italian Cherrywood Drop-Front Desk Secretaire with Inlay
Located in San Francisco, CA
A cherrywood drop front desk with four small drawers fitted in the upper interior and three drawers below. Handsomely detailed inlay work, lovely patina and Fine quality workmanship...
Cherry
18th Century George III Mahogany Chest on Chest
Located in Essex, MA
Beautiful Mahogany George III Chest on Chest. Carved Adam Frieze with exotic wood chamfered corners. Original backboards and dovetailed drawers. Quite lovely patina and color. Early ...
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Mahogany Secretary
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Early XIX Century Mahogany Secretary Germany, 1800 Mahogany This classicist cylinder bureau made of mahogany dates from 1810 and is an original from the Empire & Biedermeier era. Th...
Mahogany
$6,175Sale Price|35% Off
H 39.77 in W 32.68 in D 20.48 in
18th Century Louis XVI Bureau or Fall Front Desk
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This refined French writing table is a beautiful example of late 18th-century Louis XVI craftsmanship, distinguished by its exceptional geometric marquetry and elegant proportions. T...
Bronze
$16,400
H 51.58 in W 52.76 in D 25.2 in
French 18th Century Large Louis XVI Marquetry Desk or Bureau à Cylindre
By Jean Kisling
Located in Berlin, DE
French 18th century large Louis XVI marquetry desk or bureau à Cylindre An exceptional marquetry secrétaire in the form of a bureau with a cylinder front and on a stand with four ...
Bronze
18th Century Italian Neoclassic Inlaid Walnut Commode
Located in Bradenton, FL
18th Century Italian Neoclassic Inlaid Walnut Commode. Veneer Sienna Marble Top. This rare chest features a stunning rectangular veneered Sienna marble top over a two drawer case. Pa...
Wood
$201,284
H 57.68 in W 85.44 in
Flemish 17th, Orpheus and Animals, Large Decorative Wall Old Master Painting
Located in Greven, DE
Flemish school, 17th century Orpheus and the animals Oil on canvas, 146,5 x 217 cm Provenance: South German private collection. On an impressive, room-filling format, this painting ...
Canvas, Oil
George II Staircase Fall Front Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
A George II style flame mahogany bureau, the sloping fall enclosing a fitted interior of faux book and hidden drawers and cabinets, the staircase gallery interior, above a short frie...
Wood
$12,250
H 48.5 in W 58 in D 27 in
Large Louis XVI Style French Mahogany Cylindrical Bureau, 19th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
Louis XVI Style Cylindrical Bureau with slides, leather writing surface, fitted interior and marble top.
Marble
$88,802
H 46.46 in W 40.36 in D 24.81 in
18th Century Chinese Export Lacquer Chinoiserie Bureau Desk for the Dutch Market
Located in Amsterdam, NL
An extremely rare, possibly unique, Chinese export lacquer bureau for the Dutch market Canton, circa 1737 H. 118 x W. 102.5 x D. 63 cm Provenance: - Private collection, The N...
Wood, Cypress, Lacquer
Unavailable|$28,700
H 38.5 in W 74 in D 27 in
18th Century Green French Three Seater Beechwood, Velour Sofa by Sulpice Brizard
By Sulpice Brizard
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An 18th Century French three seater sofa, stamped Sulpice Brizard (Master 1762) 1735-1796. The hand crafted Parisian settee has a partial carved, painted grey Beechwood frame, in goo...
Fabric, Upholstery, Beech
Swiss Gold and Enamel Musical Vinaigrette
Located in New Orleans, LA
A musical movement distinguishes this wonderful early 19th-century gold vinaigrette box. The vessel is covered in delicate engraving highlighted by blue and white champlevé enamel de...
Metal
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.
Of all the vintage storage cabinets and antique case pieces that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items.
In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” — any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — to blend into the background of any interior.
Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson, Poul Cadovius and Finn Juhl. For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space — and, in particular, walls — in new and innovative ways. Mid-century modern credenzas, which, long and low, evolved from tables that were built as early as the 14th century in Italy, typically have no legs or very short legs and have grown in popularity as an alluring storage option over time.
Although the name immediately invokes images of clothing, dressers were initially created in Europe for a much different purpose. This furnishing was initially a flat-surfaced, low-profile side table equipped with a few drawers — a common fixture used to dress and prepare meats in English kitchens throughout the Tudor period. The drawers served as perfect utensil storage. It wasn’t until the design made its way to North America that it became enlarged and equipped with enough space to hold clothing and cosmetics. The very history of case pieces is a testament to their versatility and well-earned place in any room.
In the spirit of positioning your case goods center stage, decluttering can now be design-minded.
A contemporary case piece with open shelving and painted wood details can prove functional as a storage unit as easily as it can a room divider. Alternatively, apothecary cabinets are charming case goods similar in size to early dressers or commodes but with uniquely sized shelving and (often numerous) drawers.
Whether you’re seeking a playful sideboard that features colored glass and metal details, an antique Italian hand-carved storage cabinet or a glass-door vitrine to store and show off your collectibles, there are options for you on 1stDibs.