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Secretaires For Sale
Style: Louis XV
Style: Empire
20th Century Burl Walnut Bombe Secretary Bookcase with Etched Glass Doors
Located in Savannah, GA
Italian Bombe secretaire with a distinct burl walnut grain. Highlights include the original wrought iron hinges, a hand carved decorative crown and etched mirrored panels featuring a...
Category
1920s Italian Louis XV Vintage Secretaires
Materials
Walnut, Burl, Mirror
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
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
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
French Empire Secretaire a Abattant with Cuban Acajou Mahogany
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This secretaire a abattant is the in French Empire style and is veneered in Cuban acajou mahogany, with bronze doré mounts and a gray Saint Anne marble top.
Dimensions Closed:
Height: 56.5 in. (143.51 cm)
Width: 38 in. (96.52 cm)
Depth: 15.75 in. (40.01 cm)
Overall Cabinet Depth with the slant-front opened is 33.75".
The desk top/slant opened is 21.38" deep.
The piece has three lower drawers which are lockable (key included) and the single hidden drawer at the top. The interior has five document and accessory storage drawers. The fall-front (which locks) retains its original tooled leather border (with a Greek-Key pattern) and a later replacement dark green felt.
The bronze doré mounts on the drawers are cornucopias which symbolize bounty. The fall-front has a mount with scrolling roses and foliage. There are two mounts with a male and female profile. The male has a baby owl on his helmet which symbolizes wisdom. And hanging from the females hair-band is a peacock which symbolizes the ability to see all.
The fall front desk can be considered the cousin of the secretary desk. Both have a main working surface or desktop which does double duty as a cover to seal up papers and other items located in small shelves or small drawers placed one on top of the other in front of the user. Thus, all working papers, documents and other items have to be stored before the desk is closed.
Unlike the secretary desk, the fall front desk's desktop panel is in a perfectly vertical position when in its closed position. Often, there are no additional shelves or drawers above the section which is enclosed by the desktop. Thus, the fall front desk is identical in shape to a Barguen~o desk which would have been placed on a Stand of drawers, or more precisely to the form known as Desk on a chest or as "chest-on chest".
The fall front desk is also called a drop front desk or drop-front desk, and sometimes also a drop lid desk...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze
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
Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany Pedestal Desk in the Empire Style
Located in London, GB
A fine French late 19th century mahogany and ormolu pedestal desk with tooled leather top in the Empire style, having nine drawers, one containing a locking secret compartment, with ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Walnut Fall-Front Secretaire
Located in Southampton, NY
Grey marble top above a single long drawer, two columns with gilded detailing on either side of fall-front desk enclosing six small drawers surrounding one larger drawer and original...
Category
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Walnut, Giltwood
18th Century Walnut Scriban Secretary
Located in Marseille, FR
Secretary scriban walnut 18th century Provençal work in used condition.
Category
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th C. Louis XV Bureau Scriban Bibliotec Secretary Cabinet Mahogany Antiques LA
Located in West Hollywood, CA
18th century Louis XV Bureau Scriban Bibliotic Secretary Cabinet Mahogany Antiques LA. An important rare and Tall Scribing bibliotic secre...
Category
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wrought Iron, Metal, Metallic Thread
18th Century Empire Secretary Veneered with Mahogany
Located in Opole, PL
We present you an antique piece of furniture covered with mahogany veneer with beautiful grain. It is topped with a green marble board.
The whole is dated the turn of the 18th and th...
Category
Late 18th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble
Empire Secretaire, Vienna, circa 1810
Located in Greding, DE
Viennese secretaire on square pointed feet with bronze sabots. The body with beveled corners has a two-door base, a writing flap with central lock and one top drawer. The front side ...
Category
1810s Austrian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
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
Empire Fall Top Desk, France, 1810
Located in Belmont, MA
Introducing a remarkable Empire Fall Top Desk, hailing from France during the period of 1800-1810. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this magn...
Category
Early 1800s European Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
18th Century Louis XV Baroque Walnut Fall Front Desk/Secretaire
Located in Darmstadt, DE
The desk is from the time around 1730 and covered with a beautiful marquetry of different walnut / walnut root wood on a pine body.
All three locks are original from that time as wel...
Category
Early 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut, Pine
19th C. Royal Antique Burl Wood Secretary Desk & Black Leather Drop Leaf Top Hrh
Located in West Hollywood, CA
19th C. royal antique burl wood secretary desk & black leather drop leaf top HRH . Very rare early 19th century secretary " Secrétaire a' Aba...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
A Russian Neoclassical Roll Top Writing Desk
Located in New Haven, CT
A most elegant Russian Plumpudding mahogany cylinder desk, circa 1810. Raised on four tapered legs the lower case holds seven drawers and two sliding shelves with leather tops that e...
Category
1810s Russian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
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
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
Flame Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Commode with Rouge Griotte By Molitor
By Molitor
Located in Stamford, CT
A superbly crafted French Empire commode with Rouge Griotte marble top by Molitor. A pair of these commodes were acquired by King Jerome between 1809 and 1812 and listed in the i...
Category
Early 1800s French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
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
19th Century French Secrétaire by Durand
Located in New Orleans, LA
Superior craftsmanship and intricate marquetry characterize this rare secrétaire by Gervais-Maximilien-Eugène Durand, one of the most popular French ébénistes of the 19th century. Th...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Louis XV Secretaire, France 1770
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite secretaire de dame, France 18th century, beautiful kingwood veneer on front, sides, top, back and the inside. The writing surface is covered with leather. With original bro...
Category
1770s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Kingwood
French Louis XV Secretary, circa 1850
Located in Evergreen, CO
This beautiful quarter sawn oak secretary is comprised of three pieces. It features a top shelf cabinet with two shelves, a middle section with a drop down writing surface and eight ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
18th Century Italian Louis XV Walnut Chest of Drawers with Secretaire
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Elegant chest with secretaire of the early 18th century, beautiful from the quality that can only be obtained from workshops of great cabinet-making. The limelight comes in front of drawers moved entirely in solid walnut. Spectacular interior castle...
Category
1740s Italian Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Antique North German/Danish Empire Cylinder-Top Secretary with Bookcase, c. 1815
Located in Miami, FL
From the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany, once part of Denmark, a very handsome Empire secretary with bookcase in ash with inlays and marquetry silhouettes of neoclassical Roman images. Cylinder top opens to a pull-out desk which offers a felt-lined lectern or writing surface flanked by sliding storage compartments, as well as a series of small drawers and a central cabinet. Above desk, are three cupboards and below, there are three long drawers. Northern Germany or from the Danish Jutland region, circa 1815.
Note: Green baize on writing surface can be replaced with leather.
Measures: 46" wide x 21" deep x 83" high (With desk top open...
Category
Early 19th Century German Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ash
19th Century Louis XV Style Secretaire
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite French Louis XV style secrétaire with straight front adorned with beautiful flower marquetry made of kingwood, rosewood and boxwood veneer, drop front writing desk with fou...
Category
1890s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Satinwood
19th Century Sevres Mounted Secretaire Abattant Cabinet
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A fine quality 19th century French ebonized secretaire abattant, having its original brocatelle marble-top, classical gilded ormolu mounts of swag, ...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ormolu
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
Fine French Louis XV Bureau Dos D' Ane/ Secretaire/ Desk
Located in Westport, CT
Fine and elegant French Louis XV Bureau D'Os Dane in walnut adorned sparsely with floral marquetry inlay to its fall front top above three drawers finishing on cabriole legs and bron...
Category
18th Century and Earlier French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Louis XV Marquetry Ladies' Desk Manner of J.C. Ellaume
Located in Berlin, DE
18th Century Louis XV Marquetry Ladies' Desk Manner of J.C. Ellaume
A mid-18th century ladies' desk or so-called "bureau de pente", its shaped fall-front opening to reveal a red lea...
Category
1750s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
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
Italian Empire Neoclassical Walnut and Parcel-Gilt Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Italian Empire neoclassical walnut and parcel-gilt secretary Handsome masculine Empire campaign desk on stand with pivoting dressing mirror below balustraded cornice with ball finial...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mirror, Giltwood, Walnut
French gilt bronze and marquetry writing secretaire
Located in London, GB
French gilt bronze and marquetry writing secretaire
French, late 19th Century
Height 132.5cm, width 91cm, depth 66cm
This elegant secretaire, or writing desk, is a fine piece of nin...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ormolu
French Empire Flame Mahogany Drop Front Secretaire Abattant Secretary Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Empire Period two Part Flame Mahogany Drop Front Abattant. Item features beautiful tapered capitol, brass hardware, mother of pearl keyhole covers, inlaid interior wit...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
19th Century French Empire Marble Top Carved Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant, antique fruitwood "Secretaire a Abattant" was crafted in France, circa 1850. The tall secretary with classical straight lines stands on bracket feet and features round columns on both sides, dressed with a discrete top invisible drawer at the top. The surface is dressed with the original variegated grey marble top. The bottom has double doors with inside shelving for additional storage. The fall front opens and reveals a fully outfitted inside theater decorated with turned columns on the sides, six functioning drawers (a large top drawer across the front and 5 smaller drawers at the bottom), and a wide open niche for books and letters...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble
18th Century French Louis XV Carved Oak Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
French Louis XV carved oak buffett a du corps from the 18th century. This two part cabinet is beautifully carved and has been lightened at an earlier time ...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
French Empire Mahogany and Ormolu-Mounted Escritoire or Secretaire
Located in Berlin, DE
A French Empire mahogany and ormolu mounted writing cabinet surmounted by a Belgian marble-top, fitted with a frieze drawer, the fall inclosing a fitted interior with tooled original leather lined...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
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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