Desk Accessories
1990s Italian Other Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Desk Accessories
Rock Crystal, Bronze
1880s English Antique Desk Accessories
Metal, Silver
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
1810s European George III Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Other Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Silver
Mid-20th Century Swedish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Desk Accessories
Bronze
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century British Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Early 1900s English Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Art Deco Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Argentine Modern Desk Accessories
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Metal, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century Canadian Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 1900s European Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century European Gothic Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Desk Accessories
Brass, Gold
Early 1900s French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Silver Leaf, Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Asian Desk Accessories
Stone, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze, Enamel
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century Russian Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Gold
19th Century English George IV Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
18th Century English George III Antique Desk Accessories
Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
1880s American Minimalist Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
1920s French Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze, Enamel
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Aluminum
20th Century Desk Accessories
Gold, Silver
Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.