Baroque Desk Sets

BAROQUE STYLE

The decadence of the Baroque style, in which ornate furnishings were layered against paneled walls, painted ceilings, stately chandeliers and, above all, gilding, expressed the power of the church and monarchy through design that celebrated excess. And its influence was omnipresent — antique Baroque furniture was created in the first design style that truly had a global impact.

Theatrical and lavish, Baroque was prevalent across Europe from the 17th to mid-18th century and spread around the world through colonialism, including in Asia, Africa and the Americas. While Baroque originated in Italy and achieved some of its most fantastic forms in the late-period Roman Baroque, it was adapted to meet the tastes and materials in each region. French Baroque furniture informed Louis XIV style and added drama to Versailles. In Spain, the Baroque movement influenced the elaborate Churrigueresque style in which architecture was dripping with ornamental details. In South German Baroque, furniture was made with bold geometric patterns.

Compared to Renaissance furniture, which was more subdued in its proportions, Baroque furniture was extravagant in all aspects, from its shape to its materials.

Allegorical and mythical figures were often sculpted in the wood, along with motifs like scrolling floral forms and acanthus leaves that gave the impression of tangles of dense foliage. Novel techniques and materials such as marquetry, gesso and lacquer — which were used with exotic woods and were employed by cabinetmakers such as André-Charles Boulle, Gerrit Jensen and James Moore — reflected the growth of international trade. Baroque furniture characteristics include a range of decorative elements — a single furnishing could feature everything from carved gilded wood to gilt bronze, lending chairs, mirrors, console tables and other pieces a sense of motion.

Find a collection of authentic antique Baroque tables, lighting, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Style: Baroque

Pair of Antique 19th Century Penwork Display Stands

$531

Pair of Antique 19th Century Penwork Display Stands

Located in Lincoln, GB

Pair of Antique 19th Century Penwork Display Stands Faux-Calamander Faux-Bois Turned Wood Watch Tazzas, c.1860 An incredibly rare and highly collectible pair of mid-19th-century English turned display stands or watch tazzas, dating to circa 1860. Masterfully turned on a lathe from a fine-grained hardwood, these diminutive pedestals have been beautifully hand-decorated utilising the historic technique of penwork and graining to simulate highly prized calamander (or coromandel) wood. The surface boasts a rich, warm honey-brown base, meticulously hand-painted with fine, undulating charcoal and jet-black "tiger stripes" that wrap entirely around the circular tops and baluster stems, perfectly capturing the prized faux-bois aesthetic. Each stand features a shallow, dished top with a finely raised rim, supported by an elegant, classical vase-turned column that tapers down to a stepped, circular plinth base. A key indicator of their exceptional age and authentic construction is the early, hand-cut wooden screw mechanism, allowing each pedestal to be effortlessly unscrewed into two separate components. Dating from the mid-Victorian era, small, high-quality turned tazzas of this scale were luxury items designed for the dressing tables, library desks, or bedside cabinets of affluent households. They primarily functioned as elegant receptacles to safely hold and display a gentleman’s or lady’s pocket watch...

Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Wood

Custom Leather Writing Desk Pad by PARIONE, Gilt Embossed, Italy, 1990

$1,250

Custom Leather Writing Desk Pad by PARIONE, Gilt Embossed, Italy, 1990

By Hermès

Located in Moreno Valley, CA

Custom luxury tooled leather writing desk pad with silver gilt embossed made in Firenze Italy. Italian Luxury desk pad in leather tanned in a rich d...

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Leather

Hand or table brazier. Bronze. Spanish school, 17th century.

$1,670

Hand or table brazier. Bronze. Spanish school, 17th century.

Located in Madrid, ES

Hand or table brazier. Bronze. Spanish school, 17th century. A small brazier for use on a desk or dais, with circular legs, a polygonal shape, curved lines, and vase-like finials, r...

Category

17th Century Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Pair of Dog-shaped bookends made of onyx and bronze

$2,319Sale Price / set|20% Off

Pair of Dog-shaped bookends made of onyx and bronze

Located in Milano, IT

Wonderful pair of Italian Baroque paperweights from the 1800s. The pair is made with a truly binding Onyx base. The onyx stone has been carved to make the paperweights semi-equal. Ab...

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1870s European Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Onyx, Bronze

Celeste Globe by Charles Dien 19th Century

$3,711

Celeste Globe by Charles Dien 19th Century

Located in Madrid, ES

Celeste globe by Charles Dien it is signed Charles Dien 1840 in very good general condition measurements: 36 cm high and 15 cm in diameter very good condition.

Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Wood

Antique French Gilt Bronze Inkwell on Rouge Marble Stand, 19th Century

$2,200

H 8.5 in W 11 in D 6.5 in

Antique French Gilt Bronze Inkwell on Rouge Marble Stand, 19th Century

Located in LOS ANGELES, CA

Antique French gilt bronze inkwell on rouge marble stand. It is of superb quality and features a central figure of Diana The Huntress. Provenance: From the estate of Texas Oil...

Category

19th Century Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Bronze

Salta Medium Bordeaux Onyx Stone Pair of Bookends

$860 / item

H 6.5 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in

Salta Medium Bordeaux Onyx Stone Pair of Bookends

By AIREDELSUR

Located in Buenos Aires, AR

Salta province is called the beautiful, and this adjective introduces us to its profound beauty. Its fertile valleys, windy desert, colorful mountains and blue sky are the images tha...

Category

2010s Argentine Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Stone, Onyx, Metal

Big Silvered Bronze Vienna Dog Sculpture, Paperweight, 1900s

$870

H 4.34 in W 5.91 in D 2.76 in

Big Silvered Bronze Vienna Dog Sculpture, Paperweight, 1900s

Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos

Big silvered bronze Vienna dog sculpture, 1900s. Very good detailed silvered bronze dog sculpture. Perfect as desk paperweight. We have specialized in the ...

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Early 20th Century Austrian Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Bronze

Tiffany Studios New York Zodiac Bronze Blotter Ends With Leather Desk Pad

$1,495 / set

H 0.38 in W 28.25 in D 19.25 in

Tiffany Studios New York Zodiac Bronze Blotter Ends With Leather Desk Pad

By Tiffany Studios

Located in South Bend, IN

A gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Arts & Crafts period bronze blotter ends featuring symbols of the Zodiac with a custom brown leather desk pad By Tiffany...

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Early 20th Century American Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Antique Bronze Sculpture Paperweights Wounded Stag and Wild Boar

$3,250 / set

H 4.63 in W 5.75 in D 3 in

Pair of Antique Bronze Sculpture Paperweights Wounded Stag and Wild Boar

Located in Shippensburg, PA

Pair of figural bronze paperweights over cararra marble bases. circa early 19th century; models of "Il Porcellino" and "Wounded Stag" Item # C104009 A superb pair of 19th century p...

Category

Early 19th Century Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Carrara Marble, Bronze

PAIR OF 19th Century French CHENETS Louis XVI Style

$1,043 / set

H 11.42 in W 5.12 in D 1.97 in

PAIR OF 19th Century French CHENETS Louis XVI Style

Located in Madrid, ES

PAIR OF 19th Century French CHENETS Louis XVI style, in gilded metal. Dim.: 29 x 13 x 5 cm good conditions

Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Metal

19th Century Baccarat Inkwell

$575

H 4.5 in W 4 in D 4 in

19th Century Baccarat Inkwell

Located in Tampa, FL

A Baccarat crystal inkwell with decorated bronze. Circa 19th century, France. The interior is two inches deep and the opening is one inch wide.

Category

1890s French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Crystal

19th Century French Ormolu Mounted Rounded Globe Style Tantalus Liquor Set

$14,000 / set

H 16.5 in W 11 in D 11 in

19th Century French Ormolu Mounted Rounded Globe Style Tantalus Liquor Set

Located in New York, NY

An Unusual 19th century French Ormolu Mounted Globe Style Tantalus liquor set. The round globe top which rests on an elongated ormolu base is not common to find. The crystal top is m...

Category

1890s French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Crystal, Ormolu

19th Century Giltwood Watch Holder

$4,200

H 14.25 in W 14.25 in D 6.5 in

19th Century Giltwood Watch Holder

Located in New Orleans, LA

Beautifully carved figural giltwood pocket watch stand.

Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Italian Pietre Dure Panel of Parrot on Branch, Late 17th Century

$4,000

H 0.5 in W 9 in D 5.5 in

Italian Pietre Dure Panel of Parrot on Branch, Late 17th Century

Located in Spencertown, NY

The Pietre Dure panel inset with lapis lazuli, marmo giallo, in a rectangular shape, probably a panel from a cabinet.

Category

Late 17th Century Italian Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Marble

Salta Large Square Black Onyx Stone Pair of Bookends

$1,100 / item

H 7.88 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in

Salta Large Square Black Onyx Stone Pair of Bookends

By AIREDELSUR

Located in Buenos Aires, AR

Salta province is called the beautiful, and this adjective introduces us to its profound beauty. Its fertile valleys, windy desert, colorful mountains and blue sky are the images tha...

Category

2010s Argentine Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Stone, Onyx, Metal

Medieval Antique Cast Bronze Mission Bell Sculpture Bookend, a Pair

$600 / set

H 4.75 in W 5 in D 2 in

Medieval Antique Cast Bronze Mission Bell Sculpture Bookend, a Pair

Located in Plainview, NY

Medieval Antique Cast Bronze Mission Bell Sculpture Bookend, a Pair Bring a touch of old-world history and structural elegance to your library with this striking pair of antique-sty...

Category

1880s Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Bronze

Previously Available Items

Late 19th Century Pair of French Eggs in Malachite

Sold

H 13.78 in Dm 7.09 in L 13.78 in

Late 19th Century Pair of French Eggs in Malachite

Located in Madrid, ES

Late 19th Century Pair of French Eggs in malachite on a patinated metal base. Dim.: (height) 35 cm. Very good condition.

Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Malachite

19th Century Gilt Bronze Inkwell Stand Set with Ink Blotter and Candleholder

Sold

H 4 in W 11 in D 8 in

19th Century Gilt Bronze Inkwell Stand Set with Ink Blotter and Candleholder

Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE

Portuguese Baroque style solid gilt bronze desk set of double inkwell Stand, ink blotter and candleholder, Portugal 1870-1880 All three pieces richly decorated with foliage features,...

Category

Late 19th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Bronze

19th Century English Tortoise Ink Stand

Sold

H 3.15 in W 7.68 in D 3.94 in

19th Century English Tortoise Ink Stand

Located in Paris, FR

Small English ink stand crafted of tortoise, crystal and gilt bronze by Patent in London. It is richly decorated with inlaid foliage and floral motifs. This stand is well appointed f...

Category

19th Century English Antique Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Pair of Hand-Carved Wooden Bookends

Sold

H 6 in W 5.25 in D 3 in

Pair of Hand-Carved Wooden Bookends

Located in Atlanta, GA

Friendly pair of vintage hand-carved bookends made of wood and having three different wood finishes. Each has a stylized carved gazelle, one seated and one standing, on top of a carved rock and resting...

Category

Mid-20th Century Kenyan Baroque Desk Sets

Materials

Wood

Baroque desk sets for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Baroque desk sets for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage desk sets created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Baroque desk sets made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Portugal pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original desk sets, popular names associated with this style include and Europa Antiques. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for desk sets differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $605 and tops out at $5,270 while the average work can sell for $1,543.