Secretaires
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Secretaires For Sale
Stunning Louis XV Marquetry Secretary, circa 1850 -1X22
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Elevate your interior with the timeless elegance of this stunning Louis XV marquetry secretary, crafted around 1850. Imbued with the opulence and refinement of the French Rococo peri...
Category
1850s Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble
Antique French Empire Mahogany Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marble-Top Abattant Secretary
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Imported French Empire Flame Mahogany Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marble-Top Abattant Secretary Desk
This 19th-century French Empire-style secretary desk is a true work of art. Craf...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Brass
Vintage Henredon Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
A Vintage Henredon Secretary Desk brought to you by Niagara Furniture. This desk is impressive in both it’s design and scale. Made of beautiful...
Category
Late 20th Century Renaissance Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Roll top secretary in teak by Egon Ostergaard, Sweden, 1960s
Located in Antwerpen, BE
Roll top secretary designed by Egon Ostergaard for MSI, Sweden during the 1960’s. Solid teak and teak veneer. The upper rolltop opens on three small drawers and neat compartments abo...
Category
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Teak
Pine Secretary Bureau Desk from Sweden, circa 1880
Located in Round Top, TX
This drop front secretary is charming in every way, with a soft, satin wax finish that compliments the warm patina of the pine and Swedish country styling.
The interior drawers and c...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Country Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Ebonized Antique Louis XVI Secretary
Located in Austin, TX
Secretary, drop front desk, from France, of Mahogany in the Louis XVI style. This cabinet is finished in a lustrous museum quality ebonized French polish. There are two lower doors w...
Category
1910s French Louis XVI Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
Antique Danish Louis Philippe Empire Style Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Danish Louis Philippe Empire Style Mahogany Secretary Desk
This exquisite 19th-century secretary desk beautifully combines the influence of the Louis Philippe and Danish Emp...
Category
Late 19th Century Danish Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Metal
18th century Georgian bureau bookcase
Located in Chelmsford, GB
A very hansom early Georgian mahogany bureau bookcase .
The top has 6 fully adjustable shelves and quality glazed doors .
The bureau has a wonderful fitted interior with serpentine d...
Category
1780s English Georgian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Secretary Writing Desk
Located in Dayton, OH
Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Blockfront Secretary Writing Desk. Made from mahogany with a high sheen finish. This exception example of a late 18th century p...
Category
Late 20th Century Federal Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Period Danish Rococo Front Slant Secretaire
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Period Danish desk with a slant front that opens to a workspace.
Below are three serpentine drawers for useful storage.
Repainted in soft black, with a green/grey interior.
Category
18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Danish Modern Bow Front Secretary Desk In Teak
Located in Berkeley, CA
Origin: Denmark
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturer: Unknown
Era: 1960s
Materials: Teak
Measurements: 33.25" wide x 16" deep x 42.5" tall, Desk: 21.5" wide, 16.75" deep x 28" tall
Condit...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Teak
Johannes Sorth Bookcase / Secretary Desk In Rosewood
Located in Berkeley, CA
Origin: Denmark
Designer: Johannes Sorth
Manufacturer: Nexø / Bornholms
Era: 1960s
Materials: Rosewood
Measurements: 39.5″ wide x 17″ deep x 69.5″ tall
Condition: In excellent origi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
Antique 19th Century Flame Mahogany Rope Twist Abatante Secretary Desk
Located in Charlotte, NC
An antique Biedermeier style abatante secretary desk, unbranded. Mahogany with flame mahogany veneers, decorative overhang to top, later added white marble top, brass keyhole escutch...
Category
19th Century European Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Brass
20th Century Inlaid Rosewood Maple Walnut Cherry Wood French Bureau Desk, 1960s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French bureau from the mid-20th century. Moved and rounded inlaid furniture with floral decorations in rosewood, maple, walnut, cherry and fruitwood. Bureau equipped with two externa...
Category
1960s French Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood, Maple, Nutwood
Fine Carved Walnut French Louis XV Secretary Desk Abatant Basket of Flowers
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a superb carved walnut secretary abatant that's perfect for narrow hallways or shallow areas in a bedroom. The desk is repleat with a tulipwo...
Category
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Tulipwood, Walnut
French Secretaire Cartonnier, Transition , wood leather
Located in Valladolid, ES
A sensational and unique French PP S XIX cartonnier, Transition style from Louis XV to Louis XVI, high quality, mahogany, mahogany palm and leather. The cartonnier rises on a solid m...
Category
Early 1800s French Regency Antique Secretaires
Materials
Metal
Danish Rosewood Secretary Desk and Bookcase
Located in Oakland, CA
Mid century secretary desk and bookcase crafted of Brazilian rosewood with pull-out writing surface over a small cabinet with sliding doors. Mid-section has pair of solid rosewood ta...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
Secretary in Teak by Nils Jonsson for HJN Möbelfabrik, 1960s
By Nils Jonsson
Located in Kiel, SH
High quality secretary by Nils Jonsson in good used condition
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Teak
Early French Art Deco Secretaire Desk with Marquetry and Inlays
Located in Ulm, DE
Secretary
Wooden body, hand-polished shellac
probably stained ash
elaborate inlays and marquetry
freshly mirrored inside
Early Art Déco, France around 1925
Dimensions:
Width: 70 c...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
18th c. Swedish Painted Secretary with Library
Located in Wichita, KS
This is an exceptional Swedish secretary with library, circa 1780. This secretary has retained its original brass hardware and locks and is wearing black paint on the exterior with b...
Category
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood, Paint
20th Century Walnut Burl and Beech Wood Italian Trumeau Desk Secrétaire, 1950
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Lombard trumeau of the mid-twentieth century. Moved and rounded, double body, richly carved in walnut, burl and beech woods of beautiful lines and pleasant decor. Trumeau with a work...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Two Part Oak Secretary with Brass Hardware
Located in Middleburg, VA
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Two Part Oak Secretary with Brass Hardware. This piece stands tall at just over 6 feet and will be a beautiful antique addition to your home. Mad...
Category
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Antique Danish Blue Painted Baroque Cabinet with Secretaire
Located in Kastrup, DK
18th Century Danish Baroque period secretary cabinet in two parts. Crafted in oak, painted in a beautiful blue color and a dark grey interior.
Upper cabinet with curved crown and a ...
Category
Mid-18th Century Danish Baroque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
18th Century German Baroque Secretary with Marquetry and Patina, circa 1750
Located in Greven, DE
Baroque secretary with impressive marquetry
Southwest Germany
Walnut a.o.
around 1750
Dimensions: H x W x D: 211 x 127 x 65 cm
Description:
Antique top-mounted secretary from the ...
Category
Mid-18th Century German Baroque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Fruitwood, Maple, Walnut
Børge Mogensen Two Piece Cabinet or Secretary for Karl Andersson and Sons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Oak and teak storage unit and desk by Børge Mogensen for Karl Andersson and Sons c.1960s, Sweden. This two piece storage cabinet has eight drawers along the lower cabinet and a drop ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Secretaires
Materials
Oak, Teak
Rosewood secretair by Torbjørn Afdal, Norway, 1960s, Palisander
Located in Hägersten, SE
Secretair designed by Torbjørn Afdal. Produced by Nesjestranda møbelfabrikk during the 1960s. Made from palisander with solid wood in the legs and the drawers. The drawers made with ...
Category
1960s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Palisander
20th Century Wood Italian Lombard Trumeau Desk Secrétaire, 1960s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Lombard trumeau from the mid-20th century. Double body furniture carved in walnut, burl and beech of a beautiful line and pleasant decor. Lower body equipped with three drawers and d...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Empire Style Secretary Made In Mahogany & Intarsia From 1820s
Located in Lejre, DK
This impressive Empire style secretary from the year 1820 is a true masterpiece of craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty. Hand-polished mahogany wood gives the secretary an elegant and ...
Category
1820s Danish Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th c. Swedish Rococo Secretary with Library in Original Paint
Located in Wichita, KS
A rare, early 19th century Swedish Rococo style slant-front secretary from Fryksdalen in Värmland with arched cornice, circa 1820. The paint has been hand-scraped down to the origina...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood, Paint
Secretaire "a Abbatant" Napoleon III Empire, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Title: Secretaire "a Abbatant"
Date/Period: 19th century
Dimension: 147cm x 105cm x 51cm.
Material: Mahogany wood
Additional Information: Secretaire "a Abbatant" French, Empire Style...
Category
Early 19th Century European Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
English Georgian Two Part Mahogany Secretary circa 1780
Located in Milford, NH
A two part English Georgian secretary, its upper case featuring a cornice with dentil and fluted molding, accented with three satinwood oval paterae, surmounting two glass doors, ope...
Category
1780s English Georgian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
19th Century French Bureau de Dame Napoleon III Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Milan, IT
A late 19th century Napoleon III bronze-mounted mahogany bureau à cylinder, an elegant French Bureau de Dame or Bonheur du Jour, a ladies writing desk with cartonnier which opens up ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Late 18th or Early 19th Century Secretary with Hidden Mechanisms, Mahogany
Located in Greven, DE
Antique secretary after designs by Friedrich Gottlob Hoffmann
Central German (Leipzig)
Mahogany, maple burl
around 1800
Dimensions: H x W x D: 144 x 89 x 51 cm
Description:
The tw...
Category
1790s German Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Maple
Early 19th Century George II Walnut Secretary With Mirrored Doors
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A petite size secretary with lots of style. Mirrored doors are beautiful.
Category
Early 19th Century British Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mirror, Walnut
Painted Swedish Gustavian Style Secretary
Located in Houston, US
Really beautiful Swedish secretary with drop front, interior drawers, cubbies and a secret compartment. Two doors sit on two drawers on the top and there are two small drawers over t...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Baker Furniture French Empire Burl Wood Secrétaire á Abattant With Brass Ormolu
Located in South Bend, IN
An outstanding French Empire or Neoclassical style drop front secretary desk
By Baker Furniture
USA, Circa 1980s
Gorgeous burl wood, with ebonized columns, and original brass hard...
Category
1980s American Empire Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Brass
19th Century Louis XVI Style French Secretaire with Black Marble Top
Located in Houston, TX
In the lavish world of 19th-century French design, the Louis XVI Style Secretaire with a Black Marble Top stands as a masterpiece of sophistication and functionality. Adorned with th...
Category
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble
Solid Oak Wardrobe and Desk by Guillerme et Chambron, Edition Votre Maison
Located in Wiesbaden, DE
Elegant and rare Wardrobe, armoire and secretary by French designers Guillerme and Chambron featuring leather straps holding the desk tray.
The iconic wardrobe is in overall good...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Swedish Gustavian Painted Secretary Cabinet Bookcase
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Gustavian Painted Secretary Cabinet Bookcase, Sweden
Antique Swedish secretary cabinet in Gustavian Style. The cabinet is a well crafted pie...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Louis XVI Cylinder Desk, South Germany, 1780
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI cylinder desk, South German 1780.
Walnut veneer with intarsia in yew and mahogany. The cylinder desk has a beautiful decor with geom...
Category
1780s German Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Circa 1810. French Empire Mahogany Secretary With Ormolu Fittings & Trim
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Circa 1810. French Empire Mahogany Secretary With Ormolu Fittings & Trim
Category
Early 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
charming secretary circa 1960 in solid walnut, gilded metal base.
Located in Mouscron, WHT
charming secretary 1960 in solid walnut, gilded metal base.
The leather is stained
Category
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Secretary, Memphis Style
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Secretary, Memphis Style
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Vintage Danish Mid Century Modern Rosewood Secretary Desk
Located in San Marcos, CA
Here is a beautiful scandinavian modern secretary desk in rosewood manufactured in Denmark in the 1960's.
This exquisite case piece, recently imported from Europe to California befor...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
Midcentury vintage Roll-top desk Swedish secretary By Bröderna Gustafsson 1960s
By AB Markaryd, Bröderna Gustafssons
Located in Gaggenau, DE
Vintage Roll-top desk Swedish secretary By Bröderna Gustafsson
For Swedish Trävaruindustri, Markaryd ”)
Design year: 1960s
lockable roller shutter, key included
usable as: desk / of...
Category
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Hand-Painted & Decorated Front Neoclassical Style Breakfront Secretary Bookcase
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Introducing our exquisite 19th-century Neoclassical Style Hand-Painted & Decorated Front Breakfront/Secretary Bookcase, a stunning blend of artistry and functionality that adds a tou...
Category
1840s French Neoclassical Antique Secretaires
Materials
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Small Queen Anne style burr walnut bureau secretary
Located in Chelmsford, GB
A good quality Queen Anne style walnut bureau .
A very well proportioned small size with a well fitted interior below there are three drawers ,the whole standing on turned legs unite...
Category
1950s English Queen Anne Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Italian Walnut Parquetry Important Bureau Cabinet Trumeaux
Located in Rome, IT
An Italian walnut, parquetry bureau cabinet fruitwood inlaid with scrolling foliage,
The upper section with a shaped carved cresting, a shaped doors opening to reveal three shelves, ...
Category
Early 18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
A fine 19th c Biedermeier birch secretary. Ebonized details and gilt bronze
Located in Dallas, TX
A very fine Biedermeier period drop front secretary. Fine Empire gilt bronze details . Ebonized details . Beautiful walnut and birch woods
Category
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Italian Mid-Century Secretary Palisander Wood with Inlays by Paolo Buffa 1940s
Located in Salzburg, AT
Exceptional secretary by Paolo Buffa from the late 1940s in Italy.
The object is a real gem due to its distinctive size as well as the fineness of its execution.
The look is clea...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Burl, Bog Wood, Oak, Maple, Boxwood, Birch, Glass, Palisander
Antique 18th Century VOC Dutch Colonial Padouk Ebony Secretary Desk Bureau 1730
Located in Portland, OR
A very rare antique Dutch Colonial V.O.C. (Dutch East India Company) fall front bureau/desk on stand, Batavia, circa 1730.
This desk in the Queen Anne style was made in the Dutch Eas...
Category
1730s Indonesian Dutch Colonial Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
20th Century Inlaid Carved Wood Austrian Biedermeier Style Secretaire Desk, 1960s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Austrian secretaire from the 20th century. Biedermeier style furniture elegantly inlaid, veneered and carved in walnut, maple, beech and fruitwood. Secretaire built in a single body,...
Category
1960s Austrian Biedermeier Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Blue painted Biedermeier Secretaire, around 1820
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier secretary with three-drawer chest of drawers and two-door glazed top and sloping writing flap. The light blue painting is set off in white at the edges and the interior i...
Category
1820s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Softwood
Oak Roll Top Secretary Desk with Drawers
Located in Madrid, ES
Oak secretary / writing desk from circa 1900's. Featuring a roll-up flap with underlying writing board, shelf interior and two drawers. Below the writing desk there are two pull-out ...
Category
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Antique Victorian Chippendale Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Transport your workspace into another time and place with this exquisite antique secretary desk. Made of carved red mahogany with a generous lacquer, this piece opens up to reveal a ...
Category
Late 19th Century English Chippendale Antique Secretaires
Materials
Metal, Brass
18th C. Swedish Rococo Period Two-Part Painted Secretary with Library
Located in Santa Barbara, CA
Swedish secretary with library from the late Rococo period, circa 1780. The upper section has two library shelves with glass doors. The lower body is shaped to provide slant desk r...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paint
Refined Pander Cabinet
Located in Dronten, NL
Beautiful cabinet made by Pander & Zonen, renown Dutch manufacturer of high-end furniture in the first half of the 20th Century. Pander worked with important interior architects and ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Ash
Brazilian Rosewood Mid-century Danish Secretary Desk with Vanity Mirror
Located in Oakland, CA
Brazilian rosewood secretary desk, 1955, Denmark. Crafted with exquisite attention to detail, it showcases stunning Brazilian rosewood with dark grains and dynamic book-matched patte...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Secretaires
Materials
Mirror, Rosewood
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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