British Secretaires

Fine Georgian period mahogany chest on chest, the dentil molded top with reeded canted corners having three short and three wide drawers over lower section having secretary drawer an...

Step into the grace and sophistication of the 18th century with our exquisite English oak secretaire, an embodiment of Georgian Chippendale-style craftsmanship. Elegantly merging for...

Antique English Regency Mahogany Secretary bookcase, Circa 1890.

This highly important secrétaire-cabinet was crafted for and specially ordered by King George I for the British Ambassador to Russia. From its craftsmanship and materials to its exceptional artistry, it is a work of royal and historic significance that exudes power in each and every detail. The broken pediment at its apex features the simplified royal coat of arms bearing the king’s crown, while the interior is adorned by portraits of the British Royal Family. Placed within the ambassador’s St. Petersburg home, this entirely unique piece of furniture would have been a potent reminder of England's grandeur and political importance. Relations between England and Russia during this period were at an all-time high. Peter the Great had traveled to England in 1698 as part of his widely known “Grand Embassy” tour, wherein he attempted to gain foreign support against the Ottoman Empire. He spent a period of nearly four months there, meeting with King William III and his court on numerous occasions. Noted academic Arthur MacGregor wrote concerning the impact of the trip, “For two decades following Peter's visit, British influence in Russia reached a peak. It manifested itself in social custom, in craft practice and in ships and naval organization... it reached a significant sector of the population before relations cooled once again and the two nations pulled back from this era of unprecedented cordiality.” First and foremost, however, it is a reminder of British might and influence. By the reign of King George I, England had come into its own as a world power. Unique in its design, this cabinet is a reflection of the country’s might. It is crafted from the highest-quality solid walnut and burr walnut adorned by gilded lock plates and engraved hinges. The presence of ormolu at its apex and lining the doors was a rarity for this period, and its addition makes manifest the importance of the design. The outer doors open to reveal multiple interiors, including fifteen separate drawers around a central cupboard; the cupboard doors each bear mezzotint portraits of George I and his father, Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover. An etching after the portrait of George I dating to circa 1716 is in London’s Royal Academy. A second, inner pair of doors are adorned by mezzotints of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later Queen Caroline and George II), which are both after portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller dated 1716 in the Royal Collection. A final portrait is revealed on the very interior of the cabinet, where a mezzotint of Frederick, Anne, Amelia and Caroline, children of the Prince of Wales, resides. An etching (circa 1715-1720) after this portrait can be found in the National Portrait Gallery (London). Apart from its abundance of royal portraiture, the cabinet features stunning painted decoration, including floral designs as well as clouds, birds and trees in a bucolic motif reminiscent of Eden. Its lower portion is a study in both form and function, featuring a fitted secrétaire-drawer above three additional drawers for storage. The cabinet appears in The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture by R. Edwards from 1964, a text that is regarded as the bible of British furniture design. Edwards describes it as a “writing cabinet...given by George I to the British Ambassador at the Russian court.” The cabinet was likely made for the 18th-century German diplomat and writer Friedrich Christian Weber, who represented English interests at the Russian court from 1714 until 1719. Although Weber’s tenure as ambassador was relatively short, while in St. Petersburg, he authored his account entitled Das veraenderte Russland (The Present State of Russia), which was published in three volumes in 1721, 1739 and 1740. It may, however, also have been made for George Douglas, 2nd Earl of Dumbarton, who served as ambassador alongside Weber in 1716. Diplomatic relations ceased between the two countries in 1721. In 1928, the cabinet appeared for sale at the International Exhibition of Antiques & Works of Art in Olympia. It had previously been in the collection of the Woltner family of Bordeaux, the celebrated vintners who owned the estate Château Laville Haut-Brion and produced wine of the same name. According to the family, Monsieur Woltner was given the cabinet as a gift from an aunt who lived in Russia for many years. After leaving the Woltner collection, the cabinet was acquired by William Berry...

An exceptional example of a late George I English secretary desk in walnut, its upper case with a molded broken arch pediment with urn finials surmounting two arched paneled doors, o...

A late 18th century English George III mahogany Bureau bookcase ‘secretaire’ with fretwork open swan neck pediment, centred by a shaped finial, above a pair of glazed doors, slant fr...

A George II period golden walnut Bureau of attractive small proportions, herringbone inlaid throughout, having ¼ veneered fall-front opening to reveal leather writing surface and ste...

English Chippendale mahogany broken pediment breakfront with carved floral medallions, candle light molding, four upper case glass doors with adjus...

English Chippendale mahogany and satinwood fall front secretary / bookcase with a molded edge pendent cornice, flanking upper case hinged original glass doors revealing removable int...

English Chippendale mahogany fall front secretary with carved molded edge finial cornice, flanking upper case hinged glass doors revealing adjustable interior shelves, period brasses, interior locks with keys, fitted interior burl walnut desk, satinwood string inlays, flanking lower case book matched...

A superb quality late 18th century Georgian mahogany secretaire cupboard having well figured and banded top over one secretaire drawer to frieze, enclosing attractive satinwood in...

RARE AND IMPORTANT ENGLISH STATIONERY GEORGE III 18th Century in lacquered wood in shades of red. Decoration with gold chinoiseries representing birds, fantastic animals and pagodas...

Very fine Regency period mahogany bookcase cabinet with secretary drawer, the molded cornice with ebonized ball drops over two astragal glazed doors over satinwood fitted pull out se...

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...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Robert Mouseman Thompson custom made to order, fully restored Writing Bureau over a b...

Early 19th century Georgian mahogany chest on chest circa 1800. Fine quality English chest on chest which we rescued on our travels around Sweden. Comprising of 2 parts.  Top secti...

Late 18th century English painted oak bureau with a good fitted interior. 1780. Height to the underside of the fall front is 73cm. Code: 8514 Dimensions: W: 35" (88.9 cm) H: 40.5"...

English Mahogany secretary desk, 19th century Three pieces: Crown, upper drawers and lower cabinet. Lowest draw pulls out as a secretary desk. Measures: 21" deep x 46.5" wide x 80.5"...

An eccentric and highly unusual Classic Sheraton style mahogany and satinwood inlay slant front secretary with Chinese Chippendale style fine tracery (open-work) decoration. An impre...

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 ...

An early 19th century astral glazed bureau bookcase of large proportions. Displaying a pair of astral glazed doors. The base houses four long drawers, on...

Superb Davenport in walnut and burl walnut from England from the 19th century V ery elegant small travel desk in walnut and burl walnut which has a very elegant base The right side...

Shapland & Petter. A wonderful Arts & Crafts mahogany writing desk with a pierced heart to the top, shaped back and sides, with upper three quarter shelf and a stylized floral leaded glass back below. A period style leather writing area with hand tooled gilt decoration to the edges. A bow fronted drawer with stylized copper heart...

English trumeau of the 20th century. Double body funiture in walnut, burl, beech, mahogany and fruitwood. Lower body equipped with two smaller parallel drawers and two larger lower o...

19th Century English Satinwood secretary/bookcase. Two astragal glazed doors above open to reveal two adjustable shelves for display, a fall front opening to reveal a fully fitted in...

Liberty & Co. A Moorish Walnut Desk with Mushrabia turnings to the upper shelf, just below to the turned uprights there are dowel holes which I have shown in the images, they are the...

Lovely 19th century English black lacquered Chinoiserie secretary. Beautiful painted Asian designs and many compartments. A true w...

18th century English painted oak bureau with a fitted interior, featuring a hidden well and hidden drawers. 1760. Height to the underside of the fall front is 73cm. Code: 8523 Dim...

This is a slant front secretary or bureau made in England circa 1780. It is made of Kashmir walnut (the finest cut of burr walnut) and walnut. The top, ...

This is a lovely Edwardian walnut Secretary, the top having two glazed doors within Gothic mullions. The bottom section with a slant drop front, contains a hand painted center medal...

Fantastic piece in impeccable condition. Regency exotic hardwood bureau or secretaire desk or cabinet of lovely proportions. From circa 1790. The top portion consists of an open columned pelmet and shelf with a series of drawers underneath. All made of rosewood. The bottom section is a double door cabinet with double shelving inside. The façade of the doors consist of glorious gilded latticework frames with rose shaped connectors and with brown silk blinds...

George IV Mahogany Secretary Bookcase with Brass Inlay and Ormolu Mounts, England, circa 1830.

The lower chest with three graduated drawers with openwork brass batwing drawer pulls and brass escutcheons with the key. Flanking the uppermost drawer are two slide supports with sm...

A small Arts & Crafts oak sideboard in the style of George Walton. With flaring cornice, four small upper cupboards the central pair with arched doors and a small work area in front,...

Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. A rare Gothic Revival architect's folding desk. The top has opposing slides opening to reveal a compartment for storing drawing utensils etc. The ...

Antique English mahogany glass front Bureau bookcase with Fitted Interior, circa 1830.

18th century English painted oak fall front bureau. 1760. Height to desk: 28 1/4-inches Internal reference: H Code: 8872 Dimensions: W: 43.5" (110.5 cm) H: 39.5" (100.3 cm) D: ...

With double arched top over a pair of arched mirror doors opening to a red interior fitted with drawers and shelves, the base with slant lid des...

A W N Pugin attributed, A Gothic Revival Oak Davenport with finely executed carved gallery to the top and a sloping writing area opening to reveal storage...

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...

This is an elegant English black lacquered English Queen Anne cabinet chest on Stand decorated overall with gilt chinoiseries. This case piece was originally a traveling secretary...

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...

This is a bookcase / secretary or Bureau bookcase, made in England, circa 1825. There is a Pagoda Shaped layered crown molding to the top of the piece (very unusual). There is a pair...

A delightful early 18th century solid walnut bureau bookcase having attractive double domed top with replacement mirror plates to panelled doors enclosing well fitted interior abov...

Unusual original Arts & Crafts Movement oak secretaire cabinet, circa 1900. The cabinet has its original brass handles and is in good condition with only some minor losses to the pa...

English Chippendale mahogany slant front architects secretary / bookcase with a carved dentil molded edge cornice, upper flanking glass doors with...

This is an extremely handsome, well-carved secretary bookcase in fine condition. It will not fail to please.

Rare 18th-century English Georgian-style secretary or butler chest, never restored with original patina, three drawers with secretary in top drop drawer, original hardware, dove tail...

English mahogany bureau bookcase, having broken arch pediment above dentil molded cornice, the upper cabinet with hexagon glass mullion doors, the lower cabinet with fall front secre...

A fine early 19th century Regency mahogany and satinwood inlayed drop front secretary . Signed in two places

Rectangular cornice over a single door with mirror, the desk section with fold down writing surface opening to a nicely fitted interior and sliding panel opening to a well, all over ...

18th Century English Country Secretary in Hand-Carved Oak is a superlative example of the design, conceived as a piece that takes up no more space than a chest of drawers, but can se...

This is a secretary / bureau/ desk made in England, circa 1780. The top and the fall have a rosewood banding with a string inlay of satinwood and Satin Mahogany in the interior of th...

AMAZING STATIONERY BIN WITH LIFTING English, 18th century. in lacquered wood. Gold decoration representing pagodas and river landscapes. Friezes with plant motifs. Lower body with ...

Elegant Edwardian Cylinder Roll Top Secretary Desk, French Walnut with Marquetry & Parquetry Inlay– English Craftsmanship Step back in time with this exquisite Edwardian cylinder ro...

Magnificent antique English Secretaire cabinet with satinwood, hare wood, tulipwood, and kingwood marquetry, of monumental form, in two parts. The upper section with molded cresting ...

English Georgian style (19th century) red lacquered Chinoiserie decorated slant front secretary cabinet.

Chinese Two-Pieces Furniture with Table and Cupboard with Doors and Drawers

We delight to offer for sale this lovely yew wood secretary campaign chest made by Kennedy of Ipswich and retailed by Harrods London , this is a ver...

With broken arch pediment and inset mirror over a pair of arched mirror doors opening to shelves and drawers, the base with a slant lid hinged w...