Desk Accessories
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Gold, Bronze
19th Century British Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal
19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Malachite, Bronze
1890s American Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Mother-of-Pearl, Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
1810s English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
1990s American Modern Desk Accessories
Gold
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Japanese Japonisme Antique Desk Accessories
Composition
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Gold, Bronze
1850s French Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Gold Plate, Silver Plate, Bronze
1880s Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Glass, Resin
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1890s French Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Multi-gemstone, Silver, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Late 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century Scottish Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Agate, Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
19th Century Charles X Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
19th Century British Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Iron
Early 19th Century French Régence Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1810s Italian Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1850s Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Rosewood
1880s French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1880s French Renaissance Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
19th Century British William IV Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1830s French Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Gold
Mid-19th Century Indian British Colonial Antique Desk Accessories
Ebony
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1880s Gothic Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Hardwood
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
1890s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1890s French Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Walnut
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal
19th Century British Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1810s British Egyptian Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
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.