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Secretaires For Sale
Late 18th Century French Painted Petite Provençal Bureau
Located in Wichita, KS
A charming petite French Provençal bureau from the late 18th century. The slant front opens to reveal four drawers with a center pigeon hole and an upper shelf behind the desk surfac...
Category

18th Century French French Provincial Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Paint

18th c. Swedish Early Gustavian Secretary with Library
Located in Wichita, KS
A Swedish early Gustavian period secretary with library from the 18th century with shaped cornice, scalped apron, and original bronze hardware. The upp...
Category

18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Paint

Vintage Mahogany Secretary with Flip Down Desk and Storage
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Vintage wood tall secretary having pretty flat front with carved wood decoration and urn shape in the center. Lovely grain and particularly narrow depth. Turned legs have a lower tie...
Category

1940s American Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Swedish 1870s Birchwood Butler's Desk with Drop Front and Three Drawers
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish birchwood butler's desk circa 1870 with drop front desk and three lower drawers. Experience the fusion of style and functionality with this Swedish birchwood butler's desk,...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Fine 19th Century English Chinoiserie and Red Lacquered Slant Front Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
A very fine and elaborated 19th century Chinoiserie red lacquered slant front secretary. Hand painted and raised decoration. The interior with pigeon holes and drawers and a writing ...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

18th Century Pair of Italian Louis XV Walnut Cabinet Secretaires Trumeau 1750s
Located in Roma, RM
Very rare pair of Trumeau Italians, coming from the city of Verona, Louis XV era, they are a frontal and not a right and left pair, sometimes the noble...
Category

18th Century Italian Louis XV Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut, Giltwood

Louis XVI Rolltop Desk, France 1780, Mahogany
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI Rolltop or cylinder desk, France, 1780. This original Louis XVI cylinder desk has an elegant mahogany veneer with satinwood inlays. I...
Category

1780s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany, Satinwood

Prewar Biedermeier Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Opole, PL
Prewar Biedermeier mahogany secretary desk We present you a mahogany secretary desk, circa before 1939, stylized as Biedermeier. This piece of furniture is composed of three drawers in the lower section and a sliding panel, which is covered by a cylindrical board. There are three compartments flush with the panel. The middle compartment has a liftable lid, whereas the two side ones can be closed with a sliding board...
Category

Early 20th Century Scandinavian Biedermeier Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Danish Modern Teak Secretary Desk with Hutch
Located in San Jose, CA
Mid-Century Modern secretary desk in teak circa 1960s, Denmark. Equipped with three deep storage drawers accented with sculpted wood handles. Features a slide out work desktop and in...
Category

1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

18th Century Painted Bureau
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Late 18th century English painted oak bureau with fitted interior. 1790. Height to desk is 34". Reference: 7880 Dimensions 41.5 inches (105 cms) Wide 20.5 inches (52 cms) ...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

18th Century English Painted Bureau
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Late 18th century English painted oak bureau with fitted interior. 1790. Height to desk is 29". Reference: 7878 Dimensions 37.5 inches (95 cms) Wide 21 inches (53 cms) Dee...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

French Louis XV Style Bureau Plat with Ormolu Mounts French Flat Desk
Located in Miami, FL
A very fine large sized flat desk otherwise referred to as a "Bureau de Ministre", Bureau Plat or Ministers Flat Desk. Extremely finely chiseled bronze. Slightly protruding, profiled...
Category

20th Century French Louis XV Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

Antique Spanish Renaissance Revival Vargueno Secretary Desk on Stand
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Spanish Renaissance Revival Vargueno Secretary Desk on Stand.
Category

19th Century Spanish Colonial Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

18th Century Painted Bureau
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Late 18th C English painted oak bureau with fitted interior. 1790. Height to desk is 30". Reference: 7874 Dimensions 42 inches (107 cms) Wide 21.5 inches (55 cms) Deep 41...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Wall Decoration Old House with Staircase, 1974
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very nice and unseal handmade wall decoration. Brass and Metal. Old house with staircases comes with a Bronze little boy figurine. Lots off patine. Signed Hirsch 1974.
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Metal

Biedermeier Roll-Top Secretaire, Central Germany, circa 1820
Located in Greding, DE
A Biedermeier roll-top secretaire with two drawers at the bottom and three drawers at the top. The secretaire stands on high square pointed feet. The pilaster strips and the fronts o...
Category

1820s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Cherry

French Bureau Plat Around 1900
Located in Heiligenberg, DE
Splendid Bureau Plat veneered with rosewood and decorated with bronze applications, France 19th century. Bureau Plat is in restored condition with shellac polished surface. This ...
Category

1890s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Kingwood

Biedermeier Secretary, Northern Europe, circa 1860
Located in Chorzów, PL
Biedermeier secretary, Northern Europe, circa 1860. Very good condition, after professional renovation, a piece of furniture finished in polish. Wood: mahogany dimensions: h...
Category

1860s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

German Baroque Secretary with Mirror and Silver Plated Fittings from 1730/35
Located in Heiligenberg, DE
Two-piece baroque secretary with mirrored doors, exceptional original silvered fittings with numerous princely crowns, walnut saw veneer on softwood, Thuringia circa 1730/35. This secretary comes from princely property, was made in very high craftsmanship and is in an impeccably restored condition. In addition to the mirrored glass, the elaborate front of the top is adorned with three pilasters, the shaft of which is framed by double fillet bands and features a walnut field in the center. The profiled bases are cast in silver-plated brass. The three capitals are elaborate silvered castings with leaves and volutes. Under the doors, two delicate shelves with walnut fronts can be pulled out on fine silver-plated knobs. The knobs are the same model as the small drawers in the single-door. Pulling out the shelves reveals a framed area of oak. The framing is multi-profiled, very finely worked and mitered. The trays were probably intended for candlesticks. The light from the candles is clearly enhanced by the mirrors. At that time, this effect was also used for wall blinds. The carcass sides of the entire piece of furniture are identical in design. The base shows mirrored fields with a cross-veneered framing. In the case of the top, the field is mirrored four times in the form of a cross joint and is also bordered by a cross-veneered framing. On both sides of the base and the top are strong, silver-plated handles, with a splendidly designed base plate of chased, silver-plated brass sheet. Here again we encounter the princely crown. On the original back panel is a handwritten note in chalk: "Salon der Durchl. Fürstin von der Lippe...
Category

1730s German Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Oak Secretary, Northern Europe, Around 1820
Located in Chorzów, PL
Oak secretary, Northern Europe, around 1820! Very good condition, after professional renovation. Wood: oak Dimensions: height: 200 cm, width: ...
Category

1820s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Italian 1820s Walnut and Maple Slant Front Desk with Floral Marquetry
Located in Atlanta, GA
An Italian walnut and maple slant front desk, circa 1820 with marquetry décor and three graduating drawers. Immerse yourself in the elegance of ...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Antique Warsaw Flame Mahogany English Georgian Butlers Secretary Desk Bookcase
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Warsaw Furniture Mfg Co Federal or Georgian stepback butlers secretary desk and bookcase. Made of flamed mahogany with upper bookcase cabinet ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Stunning 1900s Burr & Burl Walnut Drop Front Bureau Desk Lovely Timber Patina
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely circa 1900 Burr & Burl Walnut drop front bureau A good looking and well-made piece, you don't come across many in Burr walnut, it i...
Category

Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Swedish Rococo Style Secretary Hutch
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a unique Swedish Rococo Style Secretary Hutch. Its been restored and repainted with Milk Paints "Oyster Grey" Desk Height 27 inches Open 33.5
Category

1970s Swedish Rococo Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Wood

Pennsylvania House Slant Front 4-Drawer Cherry Secretary Desk with Lock
Located in Germantown, MD
Pennsylvania House Slant Front Cherry Secretary Desk with Lock. Features four fully functional drawers with dovetail construction and Chippendale...
Category

Late 20th Century American Queen Anne Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Biedermeier Secretary, Northern Europe, circa 1850
Located in Chorzów, PL
Biedermeier secretary, Northern Europe, circa 1850. Very good condition. Wood: mahogany dimensions: height 205 cm width 109 cm depth 59 cm.
Category

1850s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Scandinavian Birch Empire Bureau Secretary with Bookcase, c. 1820
Located in Miami, FL
A very fine Scandinavian Empire/Biedermeier secretary in beautiful birch wood with mahogany interior, Denmark, circa 1820. The highly sculptural form makes this piece an outstanding ...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Birch

Swedish Rococo Secretary Hutch
Located in Hollywood, FL
Desk 32 inches high, 43 inches open Upper cabinet 12 inches deep, bottom 25 inches deep.
Category

1780s Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

George IV Mahogany Secretary Bookcase with Brass Inlay and Ormolu Mounts England
Located in Atlanta, GA
George IV Mahogany Secretary Bookcase with Brass Inlay and Ormolu Mounts, England, circa 1830.
Category

Early 19th Century English George IV Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Swedish Gray Painted Secretary Bureau, circa 1800
Located in Round Top, TX
This oak secretary reflects the grace and class of Swedish styling in the early 1800's with three large serpentine drawers and curved skirt. The traditional interior with 8 small dr...
Category

19th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak, Paint

CRAFTIQUE Solid Mahogany Chippendale Secretary Desk w/ Bookcase
Located in Charlotte, NC
A stunning secretary desk with bookcase by top-quality furniture maker Craftique, in the style of early American John Hancock desks. Made in Mebane, North Carolina, USA, in the late ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Vintage Secretary Cabinet Teak 1960s Danish
Located in GRONINGEN, NL
Vintage Secretary cabinet teak 1960s Danish Period 1960s Designs unknown, Denmark Conditions excellent light signs of use Size 139 x 93...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Teak

Harrods Kennedy Burr Yew Wood Green Leather Secrataire Desk Chest of Drawers
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely hand made in England Harrods Kennedy Military Campaign, Secrataire desk with drawers A very good looking well made and decorative pi...
Category

20th Century English Campaign Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Swedish 1870s Birch Inlaid Secretary with Inlaid Motifs and Slant Front Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
Swedish 1870s birch inlaid two part tall secretary with slant front desk, two doors, four drawers and inlaid star motifs. Imbued with a refined elegance, this Swedish 19th Century bi...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Swedish 19th Century Painted Pine Escritoire Writing Desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Swedish 19th century painted pine escritoire writing desk circa 1870. We are pleased to offer this rustic escritoire, made from solid pine and hand painted on the outside using a ...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Rustic Antique Secretaires

Materials

Pine

Georgian Mahogany Blind Door Bookcase Secretary
Located in Bradenton, FL
A very nice early Georgian Mahogany blind door bookcase secretary desk 1740-50. This is a great looking piece that retains an old and possibly original surface with a great mellow co...
Category

1740s English George II Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Pine Roll Top Desk Bureau from Sweden circa 1840
Located in Round Top, TX
Lovely pine roll top desk or bureau from Sweden from the 1800's. The age of this secretary is revealed in the warmth of the deep patina in the pine which only happens through genera...
Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Country Antique Secretaires

Materials

Pine

Vintage Danish Midcentury Teak Secretary Desk Attributed to Johannes Andersen
Located in San Marcos, CA
Here is terrific and rare Scandinavian Modern secretary desk in teak wood reminiscent of Johannes Andersen's design. This special piece, recently imported from Europe to Copenhagen before its refinishing, features a vibrant wood grain, a drop down door turning into a writing desk revealing storage cubbies and small drawers, four large dove tail built drawers and a sculptural contrasting oak floating...
Category

1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

Pair of Black Lacquered Midcentury Secretaires by Paolo Buffa
Located in London, GB
A pair of Italian midcentury Neo-Classical black lacquered secretaires by Paolo Buffa. Each with three drawers and a fall front desk compartment, with writing desk and fitted interio...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Beech

Antique Biedermeier Table, Secretaire, 19th Century
Located in Kerepes, HU
We present to you this special small secretaire table in Biedermeier style. This piece of furniture is richly decorated with fine marquetry. With its elegant silhouette and beautif...
Category

19th Century European Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Swedish 1856 Two-part Painted Secretary with Four Doors and Slant Front Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
Swedish 19th century two-part painted wood secretary circa 1856 with slant front desk, four doors and bracket feet. of Scandinavian taste for light palettes. Enrich your space with a...
Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Antique Biedermeier Secretary, 20th Century
Located in Kerepes, HU
We present to you this special piece of furniture in the Biedermeier style. The presented piece is appropriate for its age is in condition. Materials and techniques: Wood walnut v...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Antique 19th Century Walnut Spanish Secretaire
Located in Charlotte, NC
An antique Spanish style secretaire desk, unbranded. Solid walnut with iron hardware. Upper is the drop down desk surface door with decorative iron hinges, slide bolts and working hi...
Category

19th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Antique Secretaires

Materials

Iron

Secretary Cabinet, 1920s
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
This cabinet dates from circa 1920, produced in Germany. With 12 drawers and a door with a shelf behind it in the lower part. In the upper part a display case and a flap. The cabinet...
Category

1920s German Industrial Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Oak, Pine, Plywood

Portuguese Antique Desk Sec XVIII
Located in Castelo da Maia, PT
D. José paper chest, 18th century, in rosewood wood. Corrugated box on the front, with two drawers and three large drawers of increasing size, framed and flanked by two projecting p...
Category

2010s Portuguese Modern Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Late 18th Century French Louis XVI, Secretary Marquetery, Slant front Desc
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI, Secretary Marquetery, Slant front Desc Beautiful secretary made in France from solid walnut in ca 1790. Secretary standing on pointed legs, ...
Category

1790s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Empire Style Walnut Dressing Table
Located in Pasadena, TX
Empire Style Walnut Dressing Table Empire style dressing table in burl walnut with 2 drawers. Venetian glass pulls. The flap reveals a large origina...
Category

Late 19th Century Empire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Antique Cron Kills Mission Arts & Crafts Craftsman Walnut Secretary Writing Desk
Located in Dayton, OH
Circa 1930 secretary desk by Cron-Kills Company. Made from walnut with a slant front that opens to a writing surface with cubbies above. Beneath the wri...
Category

1930s American Mission Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Fine Antique Chippendale Style Slant Front Desk
Located in Bridgeport, CT
With four graduated drawers with fine brass pulls. The slant front opens to a fitted dark mahogany interior with drawers, cubby holes and a center compartment with door. The two half...
Category

19th Century Chippendale Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Style Secretary Stamped Quignon in Paris
Located in BARSAC, FR
Gustave-Frédéric Quignon Superb Louis XVI style piece of furniture in very finely carved solid mahogany forming a secretary / document holder cabinet. Opening 6 drawers including...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century Biedermeier Cherry Fall Front Desk / Secretaire
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Introducing a stunning late Biedermeier Slant-Front Secretary, crafted from solid cherry wood in the 1840s. This exquisite piece of furniture features three drawers spanning the enti...
Category

19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Spruce, Cherry

French Empire Mahogany Secretaire Abattant
Located in Brooklyn, NY
French Empire mahogany secretaire abattant with black marble top. Piece consists of a fall front that opens to reveal a tooled leathe...
Category

20th Century French Empire Secretaires

Materials

Marble

19th Century German Biedermeier Secretary, Light Birch Wood, circa 1830-1840
Located in Greven, DE
Antique top secretary from the Biedermeier period around 1830/1835. Birch veneer with very subtle grain. Architecturally structured interior with marquetry and band inlays. Exten...
Category

1830s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Birch

Wilhelminian Period Corner Cupboard / Display Cabinet Secretary in Oak, 1870
Located in Lüdinghausen, DE
Corner cupboard restored Wilhelminian period around 1870 oak corner display cabinet secretary Features: Triple divided with 2 times 2 d...
Category

19th Century Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Antique Stunning circa 1780 Jacobean Hand Carved Bureau Desk with Hunting Scene
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly collectable, ornately carved, circa 1780 Jacobean revival, Antique Library Bureau What a piece! Hand carved from ever...
Category

1780s English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Midcentury Swedish Rolltop Secretary Desk by Egon Ostergaard
Located in Detroit, MI
This iconic vintage midcentury Swedish modern Egon Ostergaard teak cylinder rolltop secretary desk cabinet was made in Sweden circa 1960. The Classic Scandinavian Modern design has c...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires

Materials

Brass

18th Century George II Miniature Campaign Bureau Chest on Later Chest Stand
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A GORGEOUS and beautifully proportioned Mid-18th Century George II Miniature Campaign Bureau Chest on later Chest/Stand. Mid-18th century, made in Britain, circa 1760-1770. The bureau chest sits on a later stand/chest, that we estimate is late 19th century, circa 1860-1880. It is also British. We believe that the primary wood in this piece is either Elm or Sycamore with mahogany elements. Classic Campaign style miniature Bureau Chest, with its ORIGINAL George II brass hardware, including handles on the sides for easy carriage, which is what proves to us, that this chest was made for campaign purposes. The brasses are GORGEOUS and are classically George II in style, design and construction. The quality, thickness and patina to the brasses, is what ‘initially’ tells us, that this is a ‘period’ piece and not a reproduction. Likewise, the dovetailing detail to the drawers, tells us that this was a hand crafted piece and certainly NOT machine made. The secondary woods appear to be a combination of oak and pine, exactly as one would expect. The central keyhole escutcheons are FANTASTIC and are in the form of a pair of opposing ‘lyres’. We have never seen anything like them! Beautiful natural patina! The ‘brasses’ look like they have been polished a ‘little too often and vigorously’, over the piece’s 250+ years history … BUT … the bonus of this cleaning is the creation of a rather appealing, '2 Tone effect’, on the patina of the wood around the brasses. The Bureau has a flat gallery...
Category

18th Century English George II Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Large Display Cabinet / Bookcase with Secretary in Oak, 1900
Located in Lüdinghausen, DE
Large display cabinet with secretary restored oak bookcase Features: Six-door model with secretaire with three drawers and two extension leaves Very...
Category

19th Century Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Antique, New and Vintage Secretaires

Your antique, new or vintage secretary desk has become the (chic) saving grace of the "new normal" at home.

Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — are revealed.

Traditionally, a secretary is composed of two parts — a chest of drawers on the bottom and a cabinet with shelves on the top. Taking its name from the French word for the piece, secrétaire, the secretary desk dates back to the 18th century, when Paris-based cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, known for his exquisite marquetry and clever mechanical desks, is thought to have invented the secrétaire à abbattant, or drop-leaf desk.

While the defining drop-down feature of the secretary desk has remained constant, the materials used, as well as its configuration, size and style have evolved over time.

At first, secretaries were typically made from exotic woods, like rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood; later, hardwoods like cherry, maple, oak and mahogany were more common. The desks also became lighter, with space carved out of the lower half for the writer’s feet or with drawers replaced by legs — making them more table-like.

When open, the secretary is a dynamic, versatile Wunderkammer. When closed, it’s a sophisticated, space-saving piece of furniture.

“A fine secretary with a good provenance adds stature and credence to its owner — it is a cornerstone piece,” says antiques dealer Stanley Weiss, who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. “In this disposable world, fine furniture is always passed on and speaks to who its owner is.”

No matter what style or period you choose, and no matter how you decide to use it, the timeless, flexible secretary desk is bound to become an indispensable part of your daily routine.

Browse a range of antique and vintage secretary desks on 1stDibs, including mid-century modern secretaires, Georgian secretaires and others.

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