Secretaires
15
1,653
89
7
to
349
925
783
1,749
1,676
1,702
175
113
110
91
81
73
69
56
29
27
26
26
14
9
4
3
1
1
376
706
570
96
101
314
72
21
6
16
27
32
52
97
27
13
5
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
1,671
494
400
352
336
1,429
401
295
260
220
21
13
13
11
9
Secretaires For Sale
18th Century Louis XVI Cylinder Top Secretaire
Located in Belmont, MA
18th century Louis XVI Cylinder Top Secretaire, Paris 1780.
The secretaire stands out for its elaborate kingwood and satinwood marquetry.
The inside is embellished with several dra...
Category
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Kingwood
Grande Biedermeier Secrétaire
Located in New York, NY
A perfect example of the wealthy, elegant Biedermeier period, this impressive, secretary is veneered in flame mahogany and birch intarsia, with bone escutcheons, secret compartments,...
Category
1810s Scandinavian Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
19th Century Mahogany Inlaid Slope Front Secretaire Bookcase
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th century mahogany inlaid slope front secretaire bookcase with astragal glazing below a dentil cornice, four graduating drawers with marquis...
Category
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Fine French Ormolu-Mounted Marqueterie Secretaire Abattant
Located in Rome, IT
A fine French ormolu-mounted, kingwood , tulipwood and stained sycamore marqueterie and parquetry secretaire abattant with rectangular moulded white marble top , above a frieze drawe...
Category
18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
English Regency Rosewood Secretaire
Located in New York, NY
English Regency rosewood secretaire cabinet with two upper shelves supported by a lyre form over a secretaire drawer fitted with a leather wri...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
Austro-Hungarian Secrétaire à Abattant
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wearing a layer of Austrian walnut root veneer, this secrétaire has a unique grain that one does not often see; it swirls and undulates across the surface drawing the eye along in a ...
Category
19th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut, Burl
Chapman Italian Neoclassical Burl Wood Patchwork Olivewood Tall Secretary Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Chapman Italian neoclassical burl wood patchwork olivewood tall secretary desk. Item features 2 part construction, lighted interior with dimmer swi...
Category
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Secretaires
Materials
Burl
18th Century Dutch Trumeau Walnut with Maple Wood Inlays, Netherlands, 1760
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Dutch trumeau from the Mid-18th Century. Furniture of exceptional quality, richly inlaid in walnut and maple, the interior is covered in oak and the stru...
Category
1760s Dutch Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Antique Dutch Floral Marquetry Inlaid Bombé Bureau, 18th Century
Located in Glasgow, GB
A 19th century Dutch marquetry inlaid bombé bureau profusely decorated all-over with marquetry depictions of flowers, urns and birds. With a rectangular flap opening to reveal a stri...
Category
19th Century Dutch Dutch Colonial Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
20th Century French Secretary in Louis Seize Style
Located in Berlin, DE
Palisander mirror veneer on solid softwood. Rectangular body on pointed legs. In the front between four drawers straight flap. Behind it rich office layout. The sides and the front a...
Category
20th Century French Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Italian mid-century wood archive stand, 1940s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century wood archive stand, 1940s
Walnut archive dresser from forties, made in Italy. 28 drawers, with brass handles, were used to manage months and months of job, and st...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Brass
19th Century French Louis XV Style Secretaire
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite French Louis XV style secrétaire with wave shaped front adorned with beautiful flower marquetry made of kingwood, rosewood and boxwood veneer, drop front writing desk with ...
Category
1870s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood
French Empire Mahogany Bureau à Cylindre Writing Table, circa 1810
Located in Rome, IT
A French gilt-metal mounted mahogany bureau à cylindre writing desk.
With a grey marble top over three drawers, the fall enclosing a sliding tan lea...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Marble-Top Secretaire in Blackened Wood Napoleon III Period
Located in Sofia, BG
Lady's secretaire of blackened wood and nets decorated with rosettes and scrolls in gilded brass. It opens on the front with a drawer and a flap discovering niches and small drawers ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Louis XVI Secretary with Cylinder Top & Tambour Front Northern Europe circa 1800
Located in Miami, FL
A Louis XVI secretary desk in mahogany with satinwood inlays. Offers a cylinder top that opens to reveal a series of small drawers surrounding...
Category
Early 19th Century European Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Mahogany, Satinwood
Louis XVI Style Fall Top Secretaire
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI style fall top secretaire, France second half of the 19th century, mahogany veneer with white marble top. In very good condition. The sec...
Category
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Walnut Secretaire Ladies Desk by Pioneer of Liverpool w. Inlaid Shell
By Pioneer Complete Furnishing Stores
Located in Lisse, NL
Practical small desk with a built-in chest of drawers.
Because of the large homes that many of the rich who could afford quality furniture lived in, many antique pieces of furniture...
Category
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Secretaires
Materials
Brass
18th Century, George II Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A magnificent English 18th century Chippendale secretary bookcase of exceptional detail. The composition is marked by a robustness...
Category
1760s English Chippendale Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
18th Century Dutch Burr Walnut Floral Marquetry Bureau
Located in London, GB
This is a wonderful antique late 18th century Dutch burr walnut and marquetry bombe' bureau.
It has been accomplished in burr walnut, with exquisite hand cut floral marquetry typica...
Category
1780s Dutch Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Baroque Bureau In Walnut With Inlays
Located in Kastrup, DK
A very beautiful Baroque bureau. Thick walnut veneer with inlays.
Hidden "secret" locking system for the drawers in the upper section.
Grate quality Ni...
Category
18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century English Desk
Located in Stockbridge, GA
Early 19th century English desk.
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century French Writing Desk Secretary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very fine late 19th century French writing desk secretary with dore bronze mountings and Marble. It is made of a variety of woods - f...
Category
19th Century French Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Louis XVI Floral Marquetry Writing Cabinet or Lady's Secrétaire
Located in Berlin, DE
19th Century Louis XVI Floral and Musical Instruments Marquetry Writing Cabinet or Lady's Secrétaire, also called "Bonheur du Jour"
A 19th century bonheur du jour writing cabinet o...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Antique Empire Style Secretary with Brass and Marble Top mahogany veneer
Located in Berlin, DE
Mahogany veneer on solid conifers. High-right corpus on chased bronze claw feet. Architecturally articulated front with library dummy and brass rim sockets. On both sides slightly co...
Category
20th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Louis XV Style Scriban
Located in London, Park Royal
Louis XV Style Scriban, in solid oak. Hand-carved with Provincial carving and hand-painted in an aged ecru on the outside with a dark midnight blue patina on the inside writing section.
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Secretaire / Scriban Art Deco in Maple Veneer, circa 1950
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Secretaire / scriban art deco in maple veneer, circa 1950
Medium condition, small lack of wood, veneer, varnish to redo.
Category
1950s European Art Deco Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Maple
Early 18th Century French Petite Secretaire or Bureau with Projecting Cabinet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early 18th-century French dark wood secretary or fall-front bureau cabinet with charming proportions. Featuring a carved projecting cornice and arched front, original glass mirror fr...
Category
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Lacquered Wood Desk by Stilka, Argentina, circa 1970
By Stilka
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Lacquered wood desk by Stilka, Argentina, circa 1970.
Category
1960s Argentine Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Wood
19th Century Louis XVI Style Secretaire Cabinet
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A fine quality 19th century French Louis XVI style satinwood marquetry inlaid secretaire cabinet, with wonderful inlaid decoration to the fall front, opening to reveal a fitted inter...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Secretaires
Materials
Satinwood
Rare Lajos Kozma Bar Cabinet or Secretary
By Lajos Kozma
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Stunning and rare 1930s marquetry starburst front bar cabinet or secretary by Hungarian architect Lajos Kozma. The cabinet is in wonderful original condition with very few signs of age.
Category
1930s Hungarian Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood, Walnut
Russian Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
Russian (18th Century) mahogany secretary bookcase with brass gallery pediment and trim with 2 front doors revealing 3 drawers and shelves ...
Category
Late 18th Century Russian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Walnut Carved Secretaire Desk from H. Dufin, France, 19th Century
By Honoré Dufin
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Beautiful fine carved secretary desk.
The desk was made by the famous French cabinet maker Honoré Dufin. The secretary is signed on both sides by...
Category
1870s French Renaissance Revival Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Secretary Desk 700s Lombard by "Bottega Milanese Dei Valentini", walnut & burl
By Bottega Milanese dei Valentni
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Important precious desk bureau production of on 19th century by "Bottega Milanese dei Valentini", restored and polished to wax.
The piece of furniture is made of solid walnut and b...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Magnificent William IV Mahogany Secretaire
Located in Whaley Bridge, GB
Magnificent William IV, mahogany abbatant of unusually slim proportions, having original brass gallery above a pair of panelled cupboard doors and fall front which open to reveal ori...
Category
1830s English William IV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Mahogany Empire Secretary with Extraordinary Inlay, circa 1810-1820
Located in Round Top, TX
Extraordinary antique Empire secretary desk circa 1810-1820 from Denmark or N. Germany. The cabinet is made in three sections and covered...
Category
Early 19th Century Danish Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Secretaire with Bronze Decoration in Louis XVI Style
Located in Sofia, BG
Small secretaire in doucine, curved on three sides, in veneer of precious wood inlaid in leaves in entourages of nets. It opens with four large drawer...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Unique Symmetrical Art Deco Desk French Style
Located in Oakland, CA
Unique Art Deco desk has truly unusual and lyrical lines. The undulating base opens to reveal secret storage along with the two drawers on both sides. We like those square drawer pul...
Category
1930s Argentine Art Deco Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Burl
Swiss Early 19th Century Empire Bureau Cabinet, Signed Hirschgartner
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
This fine Empire drop-front secretary (secrétaire a'abattant or secrétaire en armoire) with a writing and standing desk is signed M. Hirschgartner. Hans Martin Hirschgartner (1766-18...
Category
19th Century Swiss Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble
Art Nouveau Secretaire Cherrywood
Located in Darmstadt, DE
A beautiful Secretaire made of solid cherrywood, from the time of Art Nouveau, circa 1900.
The interior of the middle section was covered with bird’s-eye maple veneer and looks so be...
Category
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Secretaires
Materials
Birdseye Maple, Pine, Cherry
In the Manner of Jean Pascaud, Art Deco Drop Front Secretary, France, circa 1935
By Jean Pascaud
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco drop front secretary in the manner of Jean Pascaud. Made in France, circa 1935. Sycamore with a giltwood base, mahogany interior...
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Biedermeier Fall Top Secretaire, Berlin 1820 with Exquisite Interior
Located in Belmont, MA
Outstanding Biedermeier fall top secretaire, Berlin 1820, mahogany veneer with ebonized details. The interior has one central compartment surrounded by 8 s...
Category
1820s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Continental Dutch Satinwood Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Continental Dutch-style (18/19th Century) satinwood and inlaid trimmed drop front desk with chinoiserie decorated lacquered panels and brass gallery
Category
Late 18th Century European Chinoiserie Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Early 19th Century French Empire Flame Mahogany Drop Front Secretary Desk
Located in Miami, FL
Classic antique French Empire drop front "abattant" secretary desk made with magnificent high quality flame mahogany adorned with bronze doré mounts and its original gray marble top....
Category
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
English Georgian Style Secretary Cabinet
Located in New York, NY
English Georgian style (19th century) red lacquered Chinoiserie decorated slant front secretary cabinet.
Category
19th Century British Georgian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Biedermeier Walnut Secretary
Located in Hudson, NY
Biedermeier Walnut Secretary Chest, Biedermeier walnut secretary with cabinet below. Desk has four small drawers and a letter shelf. Cab...
Category
19th Century Czech Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Italian Inlaid Walnut Secretaire
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Elegant secretaire in walnut wood. Very simple and ideal in any environment. This secretaire is made up of two parts. A support table with a comfortable drawer on the front, elegant ...
Category
1780s Italian Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Louis XVI Style marquetry inlaid Secrétaire abattant.
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A good quality French 19th century marquetry inlaid secretair abbatant. Having a serpentine marble-top, a drop leaf section, opening to reveal a fitted interior, three serpentine fro...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Mid-Century Modern Étagères by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A well scaled Mid-Century Modern étagère in bleached walnut designed by Paul McCobb. The cabinet or shelf set is constructed in solid walnut wood and brass and features two separate ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Rare French Marquetry and Gilt Bronze Secretaire with Architecture Scenes
Located in London, GB
A Truly Magnificent 19th century Secre´taire a` Abattant by Maison Rogie´ of Paris After the original in the Wallace Collection, London, made in 1777 by Pierre-Antoine Foullet
Con...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Unique Austrian Empire Secretary/Writing Desk, Material Mahogany, Wien 1820-1829
Located in Horomerice, CZ
Empire secretary or writing desk, (Cylinder)
Material: Mahogany.
Completely restored, Shellac polish.
Period: 1820-1829
Source: Austria, Wien.
We guarantee safe a the cheapest air ...
Category
1820s Austrian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Rare Colored Italian Dry Bar Cabinet and Secretary Mid-Century Modern
Located in Rome, IT
Particular dry bar cabinet in wood covered with formica, Italy, circa 1950.
The left upper cabin contains a mirror which lights up at the opening.
The left lower cabin is composed ...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Brass
German Biedermeier Mahogany Secretary
Located in New York, NY
German Biedermeier (circa 1820) mahogany secretary cabinet with Corinthian columns on top and bottom section and a centered drop front revealing a...
Category
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Marble-Top Secretaire Bronze Decoration Napoleon III Period
Located in Sofia, BG
French chiffonier forming secretary, inlaid with violet wood and rosewood, flap opening with four drawers with red marble top. Falling cuffs and keyholes in gilded bronze.
Napoleon ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Secretaires
English Chinese Chippendale Style Lattice Design Secretary
Located in New York, NY
English Chinese Chippendale style (19th century) carved mahogany lattice design secretary with gilt eagle pediment.
Category
19th Century Chinese Chippendale Antique Secretaires
Materials
Giltwood, Mahogany
20th Century Dutch Writing Cabinet, 1960s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Dutch writing cabinet hand built by a master craftsman, circa 1960s featuring ornate inlay work and numerous drawers and compartments. Very impressive piece and great quality.
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Louis XVI Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Venetian Hand-Painted Blind Door Secretary with Bookcase, Circa 1900
Located in Hollywood, SC
Venetian blind door secretary with a carved scrolled decorative cornice, upper case bookcase with hand-painted parrots and foliage, slant top reve...
Category
Early 1900s Italian Neoclassical Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Louis XVI Fall Top Desk
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI fall top desk, made in the Strassburg region, (France) in the 18th century. Stunning walnut root veneer with carved sunflower details on the co...
Category
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Extremely Decorative Secretary Empire Style with Dummies Books
Located in Berlin, DE
Noble veneer on solid softwood. Rectangular body on chiseled bronze claw feet. Architecturally structured front with dummy and brass framed brass frames. Slightly conical pilasters o...
Category
20th Century Empire Secretaires
Materials
Wood
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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