Desk Accessories
Late 18th Century German Rococo Antique Desk Accessories
Faience
Late 18th Century Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Bronze
Early 18th Century Danish Folk Art Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
Late 17th Century Italian Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
1770s Spanish Rococo Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
1750s Great Britain (UK) George II Antique Desk Accessories
Mid-18th Century Chinese Antique Desk Accessories
Stone
Late 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Tin, Bronze, Gold
Early 18th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Boxwood, Burl, Elm, Satinwood, Walnut, Zebra Wood
Mid-17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
1620s Dutch Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mid-17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Early 17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desk Accessories
Carrara Marble, Brass
Early 17th Century Dutch Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mid-17th Century Scandinavian Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
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.