20th Century Vienna Biedermeier Lyre Secretaire
Located in Berlin, DE
Imposing lyre secrétaire in the manner of Vienna Biedermeier.
Category
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Lyre Secretaire
20th Century Vienna Biedermeier Style Lyre Secretaire
Located in Berlin, DE
Two base-drawers, above an oval corpus with two half-round drawers, between a down-folding writing-plate. This so called Lyre Secretaire is the crowning of all European furniture art...
Category
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Lyra Secretaire in antique Vienna Biedermeier Style Majestic Work maple veneer
Located in Berlin, DE
Highly valuable bird’s-eye maple root veneer on solid pinewood. This so called Lyre secretaire Is the crowning of all European Furniture Art of The Biedermeier Period.
Category
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Maple
English Regency Rosewood Secretaire Cabinet, Circa 1840s, England
Located in Queens, NY
English Regency rosewood secretaire cabinet with two upper shelves supported by a lyre form over a secretaire drawer fitted with a leather writing surface above a pair of grill doors.
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Regency Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
Unique Lyre-shaped Biedermeier Secretarie in walnut veneer, Austria 1840s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an exceptional and highly sculptural secrétaire cabinet, executed in richly figured walnut veneer and dating to the first half of the 19th century, Aust...
Category
Antique 1840s Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Recent Sales
Lyre Secretaire in Vienna Biedermeier Style
Located in Berlin, DE
Moulded Lions Masks with ring handles. This so called Lyre Secretaire is the crowning of all European furniture Art of The Biedermeier period.
Category
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birdseye Maple
Highly important lyre-shaped secretaire by Sebastyen Vogel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Magnificent neo-classical, early Biedermeier lyre-shaped secretaire by Sebastyen Vogel (1779-1837).
Category
Antique 19th Century Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
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Lyre Secretaire For Sale on 1stDibs
Find many varieties of an authentic lyre secretaire available at 1stDibs. Each lyre secretaire for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, birdseye maple and hardwood. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect lyre secretaire — we have versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 20th Century are available. A lyre secretaire is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in Empire styles are sought with frequency.
How Much is a Lyre Secretaire?
Prices for a lyre secretaire can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $5,500 and can go as high as $264,859, while the average can fetch as much as $11,074.
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.
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