$12,800
Secretary Baroque Sweden
Located in New York, NY
A secretary made during the baroque period 1650 - 1750 in Sweden. Made from oak. All original. Three drawers and upper interior with drawers and compartements.
Oak
$7,500
Travel Secretary Rococo
Located in New York, NY
A travel secretary with position. Made in Sweden during the Rococo period 1750-1775. Made from oak. Three drawers, a writing disc and compartements. Later painted and later fittings.
Wood
$2,925 / item
Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
This Mahogany Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture has all the outstanding qualities of an antique original. Made of select mahogany solids and mahogany veneers, the desk has four ...
Mahogany
$3,905 / item
Burled Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
This Burled Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture has all the features of an antique original. Made of high quality mahogany solids and burled veneers, the bookcase has a lovely swan...
Glass, Wood
$4,400
Swedish Secretary Bureau
Located in New York, NY
A late 19th century Swedish secretary bureau with a drop front writing surface. Two over three drawers sits atop ogee bracket feet. Later paint.
Wood
$3,905 / item
Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
The Mahogany Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture. This reproduction slant front writing desk has all the outstanding qualities of an antique original. Made of select mahogany solid...
Glass, Mahogany
$21,000
British Colonial Secretary
Located in Stamford, CT
A British Colonial secretary, probably Anglo-Indian, in Campaign form with burl wood and ebony and bone inlay.
Bone, Ebony
$4,800
Georgian Oak Secretary
Located in Sheffield, MA
Very handsome Georgian lowland oak secretary with walnut trim.
Oak, Walnut
$32,536Sale Price|40% Off
Rene Prou Secretary
By René Prou
Located in Pompano Beach, FL
A Rene Prou palissander and sycamore secretary.
Sycamore, Shagreen, Rosewood
Beautiful Sloping Flap Secretary / Roll-Up Secretary, 20th Century
Located in Berlin, DE
Beautiful sloping flap secretary / roll-up secretary, 20th century Wood veneered with tulip wood and partially inlaid. High-quality workmanship on short square legs, straight four...
Wood, Tulipwood
Italian Desk - Secretary / Bookcase
Located in Pomona, CA
An Italian Secretary Bookcase / China Cabinet. Drawer fronts and drop front banded with burl walnut center panels.
Mahogany, Walnut
Empire-style Secretary Desk
Located in Beaune, FR
A mahogany secretary desk with detached columns from the Empire period, dating from the 19th century. The front is made of Cuban flamed mahogany veneer featuring a butterfly-wing mot...
Marble
$9,856
Large Louis XV Secretary
Located in BARSAC, FR
A magnificent secretary desk crafted from violet wood and rosewood marquetry, featuring a front panel decorated with four medallions inscalloped shapes. Solid oak frame and a top of...
Palisander, Rosewood
Vintage Marquetry Secretary Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Exuding timeless Hepplewhite sophistication, this vintage secretary desk is crafted from richly grained wood and accentuated with exquisite marquetry inlay detailing. The upper hutch...
Glass, Wood
$5,524Sale Price|35% Off
Antique French Secretary
Located in Malibu, CA
This early 19th-century drop-leaf secretaire features the traditional Biedermeier ebony accents, columns, and matched woodgrain pattern. Unlike the high gloss finish of many pieces f...
Brass, Other
George III Mahogany Secretary
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
George III mahogany secretary, circa 1800. The pediment with dental moldings, two glass doors with through mullions, a slant top, desk interior with central prospect door flanked by ...
Brass
$7,800
Irish Georgian Secretary
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine and unusual 18th century Irish mahogany bureau bookcase, the pierced gallery top with Gothic details, the pilasters and door with rich and crisply carved shell and foliate desig...
Mercury Glass, Mahogany
18th Century English Secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
This secretary is of the most outstanding caliber, boasting desirable double bonnet, mirrored cabinet doors and later bun feet and its original embossed leather writing surface.
Walnut
Antique Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A quality mahogany classic secretary bookcase made in two parts. The top cornice with a carved dentil frieze over double mullion glazed doors that open to two shelves. The lower case...
Brass
$18,086 / item
European Whitewashed Secretary Bookcase
Located in Westwood, NJ
The upper doors open to a three-shelf cabinet with carved balustrade wooden galleries. The middle fall front door opens to reveal an interior with sections, drawers and hidden compar...
Wood
Secretary Swedish Rococo. Black
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant Swedish Rococo Secretary Desk in Black-Painted Pine. Executed in a beautiful and characteristic Rococo style with a wavy body, sides, and back. The slanting writing flap with...
Brass, Iron
Theodore Alexander Althorp Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
An extremely functional piece of furniture with useful storage space, this high quality secretary desk is a work of art in itself. A fine flame veneered bureau, the sloping fall encl...
Wood
Early 19th Century Secretary
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Empire Secretary, Germany, 1820 A magnificent Empire-style secretary crafted in walnut veneer over coniferous wood, with ebonized accents and partial gilding. This piece showcases t...
Walnut
Antique Mahogany Secretary Chest
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A classic secretary chest finely crafted in mahogany. With a tall fall front top opening to a fitted interior with three small drawers above and below the serpentine cubby holes. The...
Mahogany
Louis XVI Cylinder Secretary
Located in Brussels, BE
Louis XVI cylinder secretary.
Wood
19th c. Italian Walnut Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
This 19th c. Italian Walnut Secretary is a unique and elegant piece of antique furniture. Made from high-quality walnut, this secretary desk features intricate craftsmanship and a ti...
Walnut
19thc French Painted Secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautiful 19thc Robin’s egg blue secretary/fall front desk.
Wood
Secretary with Flap, 1950
Located in Marseille, FR
Secretary shelves 1950 with crosspiece, with an indoor lamp of dimension height 186 cm for a width of 130 cm and a depth of 50 cm. Style: Scandinavian.
$5,145 / item
Large Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
Inspired by an antique desk and bookcase this Large Mahogany Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture is impressive in both it’s design and scale. Made of beautifully grained mahogany, ...
Mahogany
French 19th Century Secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
This secretary desk opens up and offers a beautiful writing space, along with areas to store your writing material. The secretary has bronze mounts, a marble top and Venis Martin dec...
Bronze
Painted Italian Secretary Bookcase
Located in WEST PALM BEACH, FL
This is a lovely, decorative Italian secretary, painted overall with floral sprays against a pale yellow ground with light blue demarcations. The dome cornice is over two paneled doo...
Wood
English Sheraton Satinwood Secretary
Located in Queens, NY
English Sheraton-style (19th Century) satinwood and inlaid small secretary with arched lattice doors and pediment top
Glass, Satinwood
Breakfront Secretary Bookcase, circa 1785
Located in Greenwich, CT
A George III breakfront secretary bookcase of refined design and superb craftsmanship. Features include finely figured mahogany timber, an upper case with adjustable shelving and ei...
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Secretary
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Early 19th Century Swedish secretary. Doors carved with decorative detailing and opening to shelf storage. Below, a fall front desk space with nine various size drawers for storage. ...
Wood
Biedermeier Secretary, Austria, circa 1820
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier secretary with three drawers, fall-front writing surface and top drawer with diamond panel and inlaid velarium motif. Veneered in mahogany with bronze mounts. Interior f...
Bronze
$31,966 / item
Queen Anne Style Secretary Bookcase
By Jonathan Charles
Located in Westwood, NJ
The secretary is a commanding example of early 18th-century English design, inspired by an original from around 1710.
Wood
$18,000 / item
Pyramid Secretary, Southwestern Germany, 1835
Located in New York, NY
Biedermeier secretary with pyramidal case. The piece rests on plinth legs and features three drawers of varying heights in the lower section. The flat writing flap is decorated with ...
Maple
Fine Two Piece Bookcase Secretary
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A finely constructed fruit wood bookcase on secretary stand. The bookcase with a recessed overhanging top and double doors with carved angled mullions opening to two shelves and with...
Leather, Glass, Fruitwood
German Baroque Secretary Desk, 1750
Located in Leimen, DE
German Baroque Secretary Desk, Circa 1750 A rare mid-18th century German Baroque secretary desk of straight architectural form, crafted circa 1750. The façade is distinguished by an ...
Walnut
French Louis XV Miniature Secretary
Located in Queens, NY
French Louis XV-style (19th Century) vitrine in the form of a miniature secretary with roll top and clear glass panels.
Glass
Italian Art Deco Goatskin Secretary
By Karl Springer, (after) Jean Michel Frank, Aldo Tura
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Art Deco Goatskin Secretary. This outstanding Italian Art Deco secretary desk covered in goatskin and trimmed in walnut with an upper level area of a lighter colored wood wi...
Goatskin, Wood
$16,000Sale Price|36% Off
Italian Venetian Secretary, 18th Century
Located in CH
Italian Venetian Secretary (Secretaire / Bureau Cabinet) 18th Century An 18th-century Italian Venetian Baroque secretaire, crafted in burl walnut and walnut veneer, exemplifying the...
Walnut
1940's, Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A petite, two part, hand-painted, lacquered, fully finished, drop front Chinoiserie bureau secrétaire from Spain. The interior of the two-door top is wallpapered in faux bamboo fretw...
Wood, Lacquer
Diminutive Antique Directoire Bookcase Secretary
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A finely constructed bookcase secretary with a chest. The tall cabinet has a pierced brass 3/4 gallery around the marble top with cookie corners.
Marble, Brass
Italian 18th Century Style Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
The upper cabinet has been lined with fabric which can be removed to instal the two wooden shelves.
Walnut
$7,906Sale Price|35% Off
Baroque Bureau / Secretary in Walnut
Located in Kastrup, DK
Beautiful baroque secretary desk with finely mirror-cut oak veneer and walnut root veneer. The desk is in two parts: the lower section has three drawers with a straight break-front a...
Brass
Early 20th Century Mission Secretary Desk
Located in Dekalb, IL
Antique solid oak secretary desk. This Mission-style piece features four built-in document sorters, two of which are displayed behind windowed cabinet doors; it should be noted that...
Oak
Swedish Gustavian Secretary, circa 1790
Located in Huntington, NY
A two part Swedish Gustavian secretary. The bonnet top consists of an impressive overhanging arched pediment cornice. Upper section has three shelves and two small drawers. Lower sec...
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century Mahogany Secretary
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
The secretary is 109 cm wide, 60 cm long and 120 cm high.
Mahogany
Chinoiserie Secretary Desk Two Piece
Located in Bradenton, FL
Spanish Chinoiserie Secretary Desk, two parts. Desk features a lower chest with four storage drawers (two small drawers over two larger drawers), pull down door for writing in mid-se...
Wood
Fine Black Lacquer Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A black lacquer chinoiserie secretary in two parts. The upper cabinet with two doors that open to reveal 2 shelves, 4 pigeon holes flanked by small drawer with butterfly form hardware.
Wood
$8,998Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Biedermeier Mahogany Secretary
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
19th Century Conical Shape Secretary, Germany, 1820 This fine Biedermeier secretary made of mahogany is a real gem for every lover of antique furniture.
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Secretary, Baroque Revival Style
Located in PARIS, FR
A 19th-century Austrian writing desk inspired by the Baroque style, characterized by its faux-wood decor and interlaced painted ribbon motifs, typical of the Baroque revival in Centr...
Wood
Bureau / Secretary In Burl Walnut
Located in Kastrup, DK
Early 18th century burl walnut veneered bureau cabinet. The upper section with swan neck top over double doors, the lower section with a sloping-front opening to reveal a cupboard an...
Brass
Swedish Gustavian Style Secretary and Vitrine
Located in Atlanta, GA
A beautifully crafted Swedish Gustavian style secretary vitrine finished in hand-painted black with a softly aged character.
Glass, Wood
19th Century Empire Walnut Secretary
Located in Houston, TX
French first Empire period Secretaire à Abattant, also known as a drop-front secretary, fall front or cantilevered desk. Under the dark grey marble top is a secret, entablature drawer.
Marble, Ormolu
Painted Swedish Secretary, 19th Century
Located in New York, NY
This 19th-century Swedish secretary is a captivating example of timeless design. Its cream-painted exterior exudes classic charm, while the writing surface features the popular faux ...
Wood
Pastoe A'Dammer Roller Shutter Secretary, Grey
By Aldo van den Nieuwelaar, Pastoe
Located in Toronto, CA
The iconic rolling tambour door reveals a smart, minimal workspace.; it is equal parts cabinet, desk, and design object. Mounts to the wall, folds down with ease, and tucks away just...
Plastic, Wood
18th Century Walnut Scriban Secretary
Located in Marseille, FR
Secretary scriban walnut 18th century Provençal work in used condition.
Walnut
Classicist Vienna Secretary, circa 1790
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Richly inlaid classicist secretary circa 1790-1800 original from Vienna. Some repairs in the past. Very good original condition with sigs of usage.
Wood
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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