Desk Accessories
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Brass, Gold Plate
1880s French Belle Époque Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1890s British Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Spanish Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Desk Accessories
Enamel
1910s German Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century Russian Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Leather
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Enamel
1910s German Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
Late 19th Century Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Enamel
1870s English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1880s Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Onyx, Brass
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Iron
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
19th Century English Georgian Antique Desk Accessories
Walnut, Satinwood, Ash, Boxwood
1850s French Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Porphyry
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
1910s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Marble, Spelter
Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
19th Century Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Iron
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Ivory, Tortoise Shell
Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Desk Accessories
Ormolu
1910s British Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1890s English Anglo-Japanese Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English George IV Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
1890s Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Siena Marble, Porphyry
Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
19th Century American Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze, Enamel
Mid-19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Velvet, Burl
Late 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
19th Century French Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Siena Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1880s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Earthenware
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Tortoise Shell, Leather, Paper
Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
1910s American Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
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.