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Secretaires For Sale
Period: 19th Century
Period: 1910s
Antique English Sheraton Satinwood Inlaid Secretary w/ Rosewood Banding Ca. 1880
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Sheraton Satinwood Inlaid Secretary with Rosewood Banding, Circa 1880.
This is a very lovely secretary, typical of the period and with fine detail. The warm color of...
Category
Late 19th Century English Sheraton Antique Secretaires
Materials
Rosewood, Satinwood
Renaissance Revival Standing Desk, ca. 1880
Located in New York, NY
This is a functional and beautiful piece with many unique features. The drawers pulls and escutcheons are a geometric delight, made of pewter/brass and black cellulose. Deep and gene...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Renaissance Revival Antique Secretaires
Materials
Pewter
Copf Style Cherry Inlay Secretaire Cabinet, ca. 1800
Located in Budapest, HU
Early 19th century hutch, (combination of a writing secretaire and a glass cabinet) in Copf-Style. The pine corpus has a cherry veneer, and has fine...
Category
Early 19th Century European Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Cherry, Pine
19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Secretaire. Austria, c. 1825-30.
Located in Vienna, AT
Hello,
This elegant and early Austrian Biedermeier secretaire was made circa 1825-30.
The Secretaire is an example of beautiful, rare ...
Category
Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Intarsia Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Handcrafted, this piece has been obviously been designed and created with love. Elegant intarsia inlays adorn the outside of this case piece. Inside hides a whimsical array of storag...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Birch
19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Bureau à Cylindre Possibly by François Linke
By François Linke, Adam Weisweiler
Located in New York, NY
A superb late 19th century gilt bronze mounted Louis XVI style Bureau à Cylindre Possibly François Linke for Maison Krieger
In the manner of Adam Weisweiler
Cajou, platane trellis-parquetry, ébène and buis stringings, the rounded corner marble top above three small drawers, the cylinder front opening to a gilt-tooled leather lined writing slide and five small drawers, the frieze fitted with three drawers, the central drawer, with spring-loaded secret release, is decorated with an ormolu relief plaque which depicts a group of putti at play, the two side drawers with hidden key...
Category
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Georgian English Mahogany Commode Secretaire, 1816
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Important English commode secretary from the Georgian period with three large drawers. The upper part simulating two drawers is made of a flap which forms the work table covered with...
Category
1810s English Georgian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Large French Empire Napoleon III Bureau Plat Desk
Located in Miami, FL
A fine large sized flat desk otherwise referred to as a "bureau de ministre" or ministers flat desk.
In mahogany and mahogany veneer flamed on all sides, beautiful ornamentation of...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Unique Mahogany Antique Secretary Desk, Sweden, circa 1880
Located in Chorzów, PL
An antique secretary from the end of the 19th century. Furniture in very good condition, after professional renovation. Finished in gloss polish. Unique restored piece by our renovat...
Category
1880s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Gothic Walnut Secretary, Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century French Gothic walnut secretary ~ Cabinet is a superlative example of the mastery of furniture making during the middle to late 1800s ...
Category
1870s French Gothic Revival Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Large and Important French Secretaire of Excellent Cabinet Making
Located in Cesena, FC
Large and important French Secretaire.
Impressive piece of furniture of excellent cabinetry.
Externally, the cabinet looks like a cabinet with drawers and a large door finely inlaid ...
Category
1850s French Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ash, Elm, Walnut
Antique 19th Century Dutch Oak Drop Front Bombe Secretary
Located in Charleston, SC
Antique 19th century Dutch oak drop front bombe secretary with a 3-drawer bombe front and carved ball and claw feet. The drop front has writing area and...
Category
19th Century Dutch Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak, Paint
Rare Antique Federal American Mahogany Secretary Writing Desk Gothic Bookcase
Located in Dayton, OH
A fine and impressive Federal Period Mahogany secretary and bookcase, circa 1830s. The bookcase features an eighteen pane gothic arched cabinet fro...
Category
Early 19th Century Federal Antique Secretaires
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Secretaire Bookcase by Edwards & Roberts
Located in Dublin, IE
An exceptional late 19th century secretaire bookcase by Edwards & Roberts, the upper section with a pierced fretwork swan neck pediment with Greek key moulding. The twin astragal glazed doors open to reveal an adjustable shelved interior, having reeded canted corners. Constructed using the finest figured mahogany with satinwood and boxwood line inlaid detail. The lower section having figured mahogany top, banded in satinwood above a secretaire drawer depicting a central classical urn within a floral swags, enclosing six Satinwood drawers, six pigeon holes and a gilt tooled leather inset writing surface. The twin panelled doors again constructed from figured mahogany with boxwood, satinwood inlaid panels depicting classical urns within a floral border. Also having reeded canted corners and enclosing an adjustable shelve interior, resting on solid mahogany bracket feet.
Circa 1900
English
Artists Biography:
Edwards & Roberts was founded in 1845, and had premises at 21 Wardour Street London. By 1892 they occupied more than a dozen buildings in Wardour Street, where they continued to trade until the end of the century. They became one of the leading London cabinet makers and retailers working in a variety of styles, both modern and revivalist. Their business also involved retailing, adapting and restoring the finest antique furniture and there are many examples of their earlier furniture with later embellishments bearing their stamp. Edwards & Roberts specialized in marquetry, inlay and ormolu. Edwards & Roberts was one of the principal London companies working in the taste of the late 18th century. They started business in 1845 and by 1854 were trading as "Edwards & Roberts, 21 Wardour Street, Antique and Modern Cabinet Makers and Importers of Ancient Furniture". Wardour Street became an important furniture retailing area in the second half of the 19th century. The firm carried a fine and complete library...
Category
Late 19th Century English Edwardian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
French Secretaire à Abattant, First Empire Period
Located in Montreal, Quebec
French first Empire period Secretaire à Abattant, also known as a drop-front secretary, fall front or cantilevered desk. Under the dark grey marble top is a secret, entablature drawe...
Category
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Tall Corner Cabinet/Secretaire in Mahogany, 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
The tall corner cabinet/secretary in mahogany, in beautiful antique condition from the 1840s, is an impressive piece of furniture that exudes timel...
Category
1840s Danish Other Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Edwards and Roberts Antique Inlaid Secretary Desk, 1860-1875, London
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Stately Mahogany inlaid leather top secretary desk, London England 1860-1875 by Cabinetmakers Edwards and Roberts. Moulded cornice over arched glazed panel doors with green fabric lined interior above a rolled front inlaid fan, shell and scroll decoration.
Pull out embossed green leather writing surface above graduated drawers on narrow feet: stamped "Edwards and Roberts" on top drawers edge. Famous cabinetry makers.
The firm Edwards and Roberts were among the best English antique furniture cabinet makers of the second half of the nineteenth century. The company was founded in 1845 and by 1854 was trading as ‘Edwards and Roberts’, 21 Wardour Street, ‘Antique and Modern Cabinet...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Leather, Glass
Antique Walnut Gentlemen's Secretaire Chest, Scotland 1830, H125
Located in Vancouver, BC
Antique Walnut gentlemen's secretaire chest, Scotland 1830, H125
Scotland, 1830
Solid Walnut and satinwood
Original finish
Rectangular moulded top
Figured Walnut drawer underneath
Opening to a secretaire interior with a variety of satinwood drawers, pigeon holes
Hidden compartment in the center when opened and pushed back into the cabinet reveals two small satinwood drawers
Has an original green felt writing surface
A further three full graduating drawers
With replacement hardware...
Category
1830s Scottish Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Circa 1880 Solid Oak & Brass Military Campaign Chest of Drawers Secrataire Desk
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this very fine, highly collectable solid oak with over sized brass fittings Military Campaign chest of drawers with mahogany lined & brown leather ...
Category
1880s English Campaign Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Pair 19th Century Bonheur Du Jours
Located in Brighton, Sussex
Rare pair of 19th Century French Kingwood and Tulip wood veneered Bonheur du jours, each with pierced three quarter brass galleries, gilded ormolu mounts, three drawers either side o...
Category
19th Century Japanese Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Porcelain, Mahogany
Lamb of Manchester, An Aesthetic Movement Walnut Writing Desk.
Located in London, GB
Lamb of Manchester. An Aesthetic Movement walnut and leather writing desk with a bank of four graduating drawers to the left and a large upper drawer to the right with turned and flu...
Category
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Exceptional Mahogany Bureau Bookcase from Baltimore Maryland, circa 1830
By Circle of John Needles
Located in New York, NY
Mahogany bureau bookcase from Baltimore, Maryland of exceptional quality. Design is most like examples from shop of John Needles while tapering columnar supports and finely carved el...
Category
Early 19th Century American American Classical Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
English Satinwood Adams Inlaid Secretary Desk Vitrine Top with Inkwells
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
For customers that require professional insured delivery we are proud to have teamed up with a nationwide professional delivery company that will assist with coordinating your delivery needs! They offer a reasonable flat-rate fee for delivery and set up to the ground floor of your home. They deliver to the vast majority of the lower 48 states. They offer a flat rate for most of our items with exclusions for the largest or most complex items such as breakfronts or crystal chandeliers or other items of greater complexity. For those items please ask for a shipping quote prior to purchase as these rates are different from our stated pricing. For those items please ask for a shipping quote prior to purchase. Most deliveries to the East Coast will be 295.00, to the mid-west and Southern mid-west 395.00. To the areas west of Kansas 495.00 and the farthest points to the West coast will be 595.00. Again, some areas we can't cover, however we can deliver to most of the lower 48 states so please inquire to be sure! Delivery times range from as fast as 1-4 weeks for the east coast to 5-9 weeks to the farthest areas of the west coast, sometimes longer and sometimes even shorter. If it is a time sensitive purchase, we may be able to accommodate you for a higher price. It is our goal to please each and every one of our customers with the highest standard of service possible. You must realize and accept that we are shipping antique, vintage and quality used furnishings to your home. We cannot control traffic, weather, and acts of God. There will be times when additional patience will be necessary.
This fantastic English satinwood desk is in very good antique condition with fantastic beveled glass, superb satinwood, mixed woods inlay and a great antique denim...
Category
1890s English Adam Style Antique Secretaires
Materials
Satinwood
19th Century Empire Mahogany Bureau Secretary with Bookcase
Located in Miami, FL
A very fine Empire secretary in West Indies mahogany, also known as Cuban mahogany, considered to be among the finest mahoganies because of its beautiful grain and color, Denmark, circa 1820.
Cylinder top opens to a pull-out desk which offers an adjustable baize-lined lectern or writing surface flanked by sliding storage compartments, as well as a series of small interior drawers around a central cabinet. Above the desk, are three cupboards with bowed doors, the central one featuring a pediment top. Below the pull-out desk drawer, there are three long storage...
Category
Mid-19th Century Danish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Empire Secrétaire Bottega Maggiolini Walnut Italy 19th Century
By Giuseppe Maggiolini
Located in Milano, IT
Secrétaire consisting of drawer under the plan, tilting door, with cabinet and two drawers at the bottom. Veneered in pedulle walnut and inlaid in various woods. The secrétaire is bi...
Category
19th Century Italian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
English Bookcase Secretary with Moroccan Style Glass Doors, 19th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
English secretary with glass door and three glass shelves, leather inlay on desk surface, original glass panels, 19th Century. There is one ...
Category
19th Century English Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Antique Solid Oak Biedermeier Secretary in Honey Color
Located in Casteren, NL
A beautiful secretaire abbatant or standing secretary.
Made in the finest European oak, this secretary was made in The Netherlands circa 1840. It stands on turned feet and features 3 drawers at the lower part. The writing plate has a recessed panel with the typical Dutch Biedermeier...
Category
Mid-19th Century Dutch Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
19thc French Painted Secretary
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautiful 19thc Robin’s egg blue secretary/fall front desk.
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
French 19th Century Walnut Secretary
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A wonderful walnut secretary desk. The desk can be separated into two bodies: the lower writing surface, and the upper glass-front cabinet. The writing surface is covered in beautifu...
Category
19th Century French Other Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Japanese Export Lacquer Mother-of-Pearl Secretaire for the American Market
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A rare Japanese export lacquered secretaire for the American market
Circa 1800-1830, Colonial
Overall densely decorated with flower sprays and landscapes, minutely inlaid with ...
Category
1810s Japanese Edo Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Light Hardwood Library Bookcase Secrétaire Desk Brown Leather Surface
Located in GB
We are delighted to this stunning circa 1880 light mahogany library bookcase with secrétaire desk
A well made and collectable library bookcase. The top s...
Category
1880s English Victorian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Hardwood
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
Mid-19th Century French Louis XVI Style Mahogany Commode Secretary with Bronze
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This mid-nineteenth century French Louis XVI style commode secretary features fluted bronze columns at the corners with striated bronze plaques above and below. Additional bronze ban...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Biedermeier Secretary Mahogany, 1835
Located in Berlin, DE
Pyramids mahogany on pine tree. Architecturally arranged inner life. Not long ago, the secretary was grounded. Several drawers from inside as well as from outside. With secret compar...
Category
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Unique Austrian Empire Secretary/Writing Desk, Mahogany, 1820s Austria
Located in Horomerice, CZ
Empire secretary or writing desk, (Cylinder)
Material: Mahogany.
Completely restored, Shellac polish.
Period: 1820-1829
Source: Austria, Wien.
Category
1820s Austrian Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood, Mahogany, Lacquer
Biedermeier Burl Wood Secretary Cabinet
By Biedermeier
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A shaped cabinet with a scrolled bonnet, a centre compartment with door opening to two shaped shelves, flanked by curved side compartments (one shelf inside at the left). Below is a ...
Category
19th Century European Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Burl
Rare Antique Regency Quality Mahogany Secretaire Sideboard
Located in Suffolk, GB
Rare Antique Regency quality mahogany secretaire sideboard having a pleasing shaped gallery back with a quality mahogany drop well bow fronted top. The fall ...
Category
19th Century European Regency Antique Secretaires
Materials
Other
Rustic 19th Century Country French Secretary, Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
Rustic 19th century Country French secretary ~ Cabinet is the perfect choice for the casual decor! The design centers around efficiency, with hand-forged iron hinges and latchworks t...
Category
Late 19th Century French Rustic Antique Secretaires
Materials
Iron
Antique White Oak Secretary with Carved Details
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique antique secretary with a whitewash aged finish to the white oak.
Two large glass doors at the top with adjustable shelves.
Decorative carving in the doors.
This piece ha...
Category
Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Dutch 19th Century Oak Secretaire
Located in Delft, NL
A Dutch 19th century oak secretaire
A Dutch 19th century oak secretaire and a wooden balcony rack.
The secretaire consists of various drawers between 2 columns and a hidden draw...
Category
19th Century Dutch Antique Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Indonesian 19th Century Handmade Slant-Front Desk with Raised Panels and Drawers
Located in Yonkers, NY
An Indonesian antique handmade slant-front desk from the 19th century, with raised panels and inner drawers. Created in Indonesia during the 19th century, this secretaire features a ...
Category
19th Century Indonesian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Rustic Old Hickory Hutch
Located in New York, NY
Rustic Old Hickory hutch with natural log legs, a slatted table top & shelf, one drawer, decorative cutouts & rope trim (SIGNED with brand: Old Hicko...
Category
19th Century American Rustic Antique Secretaires
Materials
Slate
Unique Mahogany Antique Secretary Desk, Northern Europe, circa 1860
Located in Chorzów, PL
Historic secretary from the second half of the 19th century.
Very good condition, after professional renovation.
Wood: Mahogany
Dimensions: he...
Category
1860s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Lacquered Secretary with Raised Chinoiserie Design
Located in Dallas, TX
Extraordinary rare 19th century Italian lacquered red secretary with raised chinoiserie design. Beautiful Asian images on the outside of the cabinet and ...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Chinoiserie Antique Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Rare Victorian Flamed Hardwood Library Bookcase Secretaire Desk Chest of Drawers
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely Victorian flamed mahogany library bookcase with built in secrataire desk and chest of drawers
A good looking and multifunctional pie...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Hardwood
Early 19th Century Dutch Floral Marquetry Bureau Display Cabinet
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
The moulded cornice above two shaped glass panelled doors opening to shelves, the lower part with a hinged sloping fall front opening to reveal a fitted interior with a central door ...
Category
19th Century Dutch Neoclassical Antique Secretaires
Materials
Ormolu
19th Century Venetian Secretary Bookcase with Painted Scenes and Floral Sprays
Located in Miami, FL
A very lovely painted green and yellow Italian fall-front secretary bookcase in the Venetian Baroque style with arched doors painted with 18th century-style scenes with figures in a garden landscape amid Roman ruins. Gold relief-work with acanthus leaves and rocaille create cartouches throughout the piece that are embellished with floral swags, as on the arched bonnet, the fall-front, the bottom drawers and the sides. The desk top opens...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Secretaires
Materials
Paint
19th Century Empire St. Mahogany, Ormolu, Bronze & Fruitwood Secretary
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most handsome Continental mid 19th century Empire st. mahogany, ormolu, patinated bronze and ebonized fruitwood drop front secretary. The secretary is raised by four square tapered...
Category
19th Century Unknown Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Carved Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant, antique fruitwood "Secretaire a Abattant" was crafted in France, circa 1840; the tall secretary with classical straight lines features a shaped top over a frieze drawer. The fall front opens and reveals a fully outfitted inside theater decorated with turned columns on the sides, six functioning drawers, and a wide open niche for books and letters...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Secretaires
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Pair of Napoleon III Marquetry Inlaid Secrétaires Abbatant
By Henry Dasson
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A pair of Napoleon III gilt-bronze mounted, Marquetry Inlaid Secrétaires Abbatants, by Henry Dasson, After the Model by Jean-Francois Dubut.
Stamped to the reverse of the bronze ...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze
American Victorian Walnut Secretary Glass Front Cabinet
Located in New York, NY
American Victorian two-piece walnut secretary cabinet with a base having a drawer whose front folds down to create a desktop with interior drawers and green felt over two doors with ...
Category
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Secretaires
Materials
Glass, Wood, Walnut
Louis XV Style Bombe Secretary Inlaid Marquetry, Ormolu Mounted, Signed
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Louis XV style bombe secretary inlaid marquetry, Ormolu Mounted. Signed.
This 19th century bombe tulipwood secretary is built with superior craftsmanship and intricate marquetry. ...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Empire Drop Front Desk, Kopenhagen, 1820
Located in Belmont, MA
Empire drop front desk, Copenhagen 1810-20.
This unique Danish secretary desk is embellished with mahogany veneer. The lower part has three cur...
Category
1810s Danish Empire Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century William IV Period Irish Cylinder Secretaire Bookcase
Located in Dublin, IE
A stunning Irish William IV mahogany secretaire bookcase, the glazed doors enclosing shelves above the cylinder fall enclosing an arrangement of drawers and pigeonholes, and with cup...
Category
19th Century English William IV Antique Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Renaissance Revival Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Design details indicate that this secretary was made at the end of the Biedermeier period as interest in historical periods bloomed. The uppermost drawer is curved in the classic Biedermeier/Louis Philippe design, favored between 1830-1860, as does the raised display platform resting on the top surface of the piece. The choice of carefully selected French walnut veneers...
Category
1850s Swedish Renaissance Revival Antique Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
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
Neoclassical Biedermeier Secretaire, Cherry Veneer, South Germany circa 1820
Located in Regensburg, DE
Very fine, neoclassical early Biedermeier Secretaire from South Germany around 1820.
Beautiful classicist design with gable cornice, well ...
Category
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires
Materials
Iron, Brass
English Fall-Front Secretary Desk in Carved Oak, Circa 1800
Located in East Hampton, NY
This piece just took our breath away - all the carved wood details and medallions are master craftsman quality. See all detail images to truly appreciate what an excellent antique pi...
Category
Early 19th Century English British Colonial Antique Secretaires
Materials
Brass
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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