Spanish Colonial Writing Desk
2010s American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
20th Century Italian Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Paint
Antique 19th Century Mexican Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique Mid-19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Vintage 1970s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century South American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writ...
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writin...
Iron
Antique Early 1900s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writin...
Walnut
Late 20th Century Brazilian Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
20th Century American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writin...
Walnut
Recent Sales
Antique 18th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Late 18th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique 1720s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1920s North American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks
Wrought Iron
Antique 19th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Vintage 1970s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Faux Bamboo
Early 20th Century Spanish Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique Early 1900s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Iron
Antique 18th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1930s Peruvian Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
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Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing...
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing...
Wood
20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
Antique 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Chestnut
Antique Mid-19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 18th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
20th Century American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
20th Century French Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 19th Century Guatemalan Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood
Vintage 1930s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 1860s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Vintage 1950s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks
Steel
Late 20th Century American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century Philippine Dining Room Tables
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Dining Room Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century Philippine Console Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
20th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 1890s Portuguese Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Jacaranda
20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 1890s Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks
Oak
Vintage 1920s American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 19th Century Spanish Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1920s North American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 17th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 19th Century Peruvian Desks and Writing Tables
Cedar
20th Century Unknown Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Spanish Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Desks
Iron
Vintage 1920s North American Spanish Colonial Desks
Vintage 1920s American Spanish Colonial Desks
Wood
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Spanish Colonial Boxes
Cedar
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Mexican Spanish Colonial Boxes
Wood
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Colombian Boxes
Wood, Shell, Bone
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Spanish Colonial Writing Desk For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Spanish Colonial Writing Desk?
A Close Look at Spanish-colonial Furniture
After the conquest of Mexico in 1521 and the Philippines in 1565, Spain dictated a global culture. The colonization of territories in the Americas, Western Europe, Africa, Oceania and the Pacific imposed the values of Spain, including Catholicism, while the extraction of resources reinforced the empire’s wealth and power. Unlike many styles that came out of European colonialism, such as British Colonial, Spanish Colonial furniture and architecture frequently mixed local heritage with the artistic traditions of Spain.
Spanish Colonial furniture was informed by the shifting styles of Europe as well as Indigenous culture. There were Inca tapestries depicting Spanish coats of arms and Baroque chairs adorned with tropical flora. The butaca, a low easy chair popular in the Caribbean, was inspired by Rococo’s curving forms and the shape of precolonial seating. In New Mexico, Pueblo artisans carved chests with patterns reminiscent of Anasazi art.
Even within the homes of the wealthy, furniture was usually restricted to necessities like benches, desks, cupboards and chests. These were often ornately designed and especially important for storing prized goods like textiles. Spanish Colonial houses were built with adobe and clay and tended to be minimally decorated, so the style’s heavily carved wooden furniture pieces stood out against a home’s white stucco walls.
The Spanish Colonial period mostly came to an end after the territories achieved independence from Spain. However, its aesthetics continued to influence Southwestern style and Spanish Colonial Revival style after Spanish Colonial style was used extensively at San Diego’s 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
Find a collection of antique Spanish Colonial chairs, tables, bedroom furniture and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Desks-writing-tables for You
Choosing the perfect writing desk or writing table is a profoundly personal journey, one that people have been embarking upon for centuries.
Queen Atossa of Persia, from her writing table circa 500 B.C., is said to have been the originator of the art of handwritten letters. Hers was reportedly the first in a long and colorful history of penned correspondence that grew in popularity alongside literacy. The demand for suitable writing desks, which would serve the composer of the letters as well as ensure the comfort of the recipient naturally followed, and the design of these necessary furnishings has evolved throughout history.
Once people began to seek freedom from the outwardly ornate styles of the walnut and rosewood writing desks and drafting tables introduced in the name of Queen Victoria and King Louis XV, radical shifts occurred, such as those that materialized during the Art Nouveau period, when designers longed to produce furniture inspired by the natural world’s beauty. A prime example is the work of the famous late-19th-century Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí — his rolltop desk featured deep side drawers and was adorned with carved motifs that paid tribute to nature. Gaudí regularly combined structural precision with decorative elements, creating beautiful pieces of furniture in wood and metal.
Soon afterward, preferences for sleek, geometric, stylized forms in furniture that saw an emphasis on natural wood grains and traditional craftsmanship took hold. Today, Art Deco desks are still favored by designers who seek to infuse interiors with an air of luxury. One of the most prominent figures of the Art Deco movement was French decorator and furniture designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. With his use of neoclassical motifs as well as expensive and exotic materials such as imported dark woods and inlays of precious metals for his writing desks, Ruhlmann came to symbolize good taste and modernity.
The rise in appreciation for Scandinavian modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary writing desks. It employs the “no fuss” or “less is more” approach to creating a tasteful, sophisticated space. Sweden’s master cabinetmaker Bruno Mathsson created gallery-worthy designs that are as functional as they are beautiful. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto never viewed himself as an artist, but, like Mathsson, his furniture designs reflected a fondness for organic materials and a humanistic approach. Danish designers such as Hans Wegner introduced elegant shapes and lines to mid-century desks and writing tables, often working in oak and solid teak.
From vintage desks to contemporary styles, 1stDibs offers a broad spectrum of choices for conducting all personal and business writing and reading activities.