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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Period: 1940s
18th Century, French Wood Centre Desk
Located in IT
18th century, French wood centre desk
Measurements: cm W 95 x D 63,5 x H 71,5 (maximum leg H 57,5)
The elegant centre desk was built in northern France...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Satinwood
Antique 18th Century American Chippendale Maple Secretary Desk Writing Bureau
Located in Dayton, OH
Exquisite and Rare antique American Chippendale Period secretary writing desk or Escritoire. Made from maple featuring a flip top that ope...
Category
18th Century Chippendale Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Maple
Small Georgian Elm Bureau
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A delightful early 18th century George I Period Elm
bureau of diminutive proportions having well figured
fall front enclosing drawers and pigeon holes over
two short and three lo...
Category
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Elm
Baroque Table, Switzerland, 1770
Located in Belmont, MA
Baroque table, Switzerland, 1770.
This pretty Baroque table dates back to the Rococo period and comes from Berne in Switzerland. The base with the curved legs is made of cherry wood....
Category
1770s Swiss Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry, Kingwood
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Writing Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Gustavian table from northern Sweden in untouched original condition. The table is from the years circa 1780-1790 with traces of thin paint on the frame and a white painted tabletop....
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Antique Early 18th Century Georgian George II Oak Lowboy Dressing Table 1750
Located in Portland, OR
A good and early antique Georgian oak lowboy/dressing table, circa 1750.
The George II lowboy having an overhanging top, with a carved kneehole wit...
Category
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Early Dunbar Leather Curved Desk and Chair by Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
An early design by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Original lilac leather and bleached mahogany curved desk with built in bookshelves. The drawers are hinged and swing open. The original ...
Category
1940s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather
Spanish Baroque Walnut Desk Table, Late 17th Century
Located in CH
Spanish Baroque walnut desk table, late 17th century.
A rectangular single plank (1.25-inch thick) walnut top is sitting over 2 geometrical car...
Category
Late 17th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
French 18th Century Louis XV Period Kingwood, Tulipwood and Ormolu Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most elegant and extremely high quality French 18th century Louis XV period Kingwood, Tulipwood, and ormolu desk circa. 1750. The Bureau à Cylindre desk...
Category
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
Osvaldo Borsani Desk
Located in New York, NY
7-drawer desk by Osvaldo Borsani for ABV. Rosewood, maple, brass. Curved desk finished on both sides. A variant of an earlier model that originally covered in parchment and designed ...
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
George 11nd small Kneehole Desk in Mahogany, English Circa 1745
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a fine original antique kneehole desk or dressing table from the mid-18th century, thought to have the provenance of being part of the es...
Category
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
17th Century Italian Center Table, Writing Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very lovely 17th century center table - writing table from the Bologna area of Italy. Beautifully constructed from walnut with two drawers, classical lyre shaped legs and a solid b...
Category
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Italian Mid 18th Century Louis XV Period Center Table/Desk circa 1740
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A spectacular and very high quality Italian mid 18th century Louis XV period Walnut, Rosewood, Charmwood and bone center table/desk circa 1740. This table from the Piedmont region is...
Category
18th Century Italian Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bone, Rosewood, Walnut
Small George I Walnut Bureau on Stand
Located in Lymington, GB
George I period walnut bureau or desk on stand, of compact proportions, ca 1720.
This small early Georgian desk is veneered in walnut an...
Category
Early 18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Rare Queen Anne Writing Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine and rare Queen Anne walnut writing table, the leather lined top with walnut crossbanding, all four sides finished with drawers (two real - on the ends and four false - on the si...
Category
1720s Queen Anne Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Oak, Walnut
18th Century Spanish Side Table
Located in Dallas, TX
Spanish table made of hand-carved oak wood. Item features front drawer with flower handle. Origin; Spain
Category
18th Century Spanish Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
18th Century Baroque Table, Made in Czechia, Fully Restored
Located in Horomerice, CZ
The table is made out of walnut and is inlaid. It has been fully restored by our team in Prague.
Category
Late 18th Century Czech Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Walnut
French Boulle Bureau Plat / Library Table, Late 18th Century
Located in Charleston, SC
Exceptional French Boulle bureau plat has the English feel of a library table with the four rams head mounted bronze fluted legs terminating in a br...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Elegant French Louis XV Period Secretary Writing Desk with Hidden Compartment
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Louis XV period Rococo secretary with hidden compartment, circa 1760. This antique French writing desk features a slant-leaf front...
Category
Early 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
French 18th Century Large Louis XVI Marquetry Desk or Bureau à Cylindre
By Jean Kisling
Located in Berlin, DE
French 18th century large Louis XVI marquetry desk or bureau à Cylindre
An exceptional marquetry secrétaire in the form of a bureau with a cylinder front and on a stand with four ...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Desk Swedish Baroque Period 18th Century Veneer Sweden
Located in New York, NY
Desk Swedish Baroque Period 18th Century Veneer Sweden. A stunning desk made during the Baroque period in Sweden. Veneered with elm and burl woo...
Category
18th Century European Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
George III Mahogany Writing Table
Located in Essex, MA
Rectangular top with all new olive tooled leather and central hinged rest, over a pair of drawers over two small drawers, raised on square tapered legs with spade feet. The back is p...
Category
1790s English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Late 17th Century Spanish Renaissance Style Walnut Writing Table, Iron Stretcher
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late 17th century Spanish Renaissance writing table is constructed of solid walnut and features an impressive 30-inch wide top made from a single plank of walnut. The top joins ...
Category
Late 17th Century French Renaissance Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
18th Century French Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Houston, TX
Elegant French ladies writing table, or desk made in the Louis XVI style.
Category
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th Century Mahogany Desk
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A George III period mahogany kneehole desk of good size, with the original brasses and lovely one piece top. The whole piece is of great colour and patina, circa 1780
This desk is...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Eugenio & Ermenegildo Soncini Architects Desk, Italy, 1940s
Located in Milan, IT
Architects Desk from the Eugenio & Ermenegildo Soncini Architecture Firm, Milan, Italy, 1940s.
A tubular structure with a wood top and base protection.
Adjustable inclination.
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Original Thomas Chippendale George III Hardwood Architect's Work Desk Table
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare original Thomas Chippendale George III circa 1780 Architects writing table or desk
A v...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
George I Walnut Secretaire Kneehole Desk
Located in Lymington, GB
An English early 18th century walnut secrétaire kneehole desk.
George I period (1714-1727), c 1720.
Of exceptional waxed honey color and lovely old patina, with well-matched veneers.
With a quarter-veneered top. Six short drawers below a hinged fall revealing a writing section, all surrounding a central recessed cupboard. There is a small, shaped pull-out drawer fitted in the apron.
All finely inlaid with herringbone lines. Raised on its original bracket feet. Swan-neck handles probably fitted later in the 18th century. Locks and keys are mostly original. Walnut veneered and crossbanded sides.
Nb. Having a fitted secrétaire drawer distinguishes this antique walnut kneehole desk...
Category
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Majestic French Bureau Plat Desk antique According to Andre C. Boulle bronzed
Located in Berlin, DE
Root veneer on solid beech and oak. Extremely finely chiselled bronze. Slightly protruding, profiled tabletop and gold-imprinted leather insert, flanked by a grotesque mask on each c...
Category
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Late 18th Century Small Lady's Mahogany Writing Desk with Ink Pot & Well
Located in Shrewsbury, GB
A superb George III lady's mahogany writing desk with hidden ink pots and a drawer, circa 1790. The desk stands on four reeded legs and on original brass castors. An unusual feature is a hidden store for two ink pots and a pen holder. There is a plain frieze with a useful large drawer, with original brass handles. The writing desk...
Category
Late 18th Century George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Late 18th Century Gustavian Styled Work Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Gustavian styled work table from the county Norrbotten in northern Sweden. The table was manufactured during the late 18th century and has a faux painted leg frame. The wooden knob o...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
18th Century Harewood Dressing Table
By Mayhew & Ince
Located in London, GB
A fine and rare late 18th century harewood dressing table, after designs by Mayhew and Ince, boxwood and ebony strung throughout, having crossbanded mitred top with pen work leaf bor...
Category
Late 18th Century Great Britain (UK) Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Satinwood, Boxwood, Ebony, Padouk, Harewood
Italian Venetian 18th Century Lady's Desk, Circa 1770
Located in CH
Italian Venetian 18th century lady's desk, Circa 1770
An Italian Neoclassical Venetian center room desk finished on all four sides. The surfac...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Late 18th Century Original Neoclassical Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Neoclassical desk from northern Sweden. The desk or table is in pine and from circa 1790. Original condition. Original and distressed paint from the late 1700s with marks of wear, se...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Neoclassical Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Rare Paul Frankl Cork and Mahogany Kneehole Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
C. 1940s, American, the mahogany eight- drawer desk encased in cork veneer on four sides, with book storage-well on the reverse. Bakelite and brass pulls....
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Cork
Louis XVI Side Table or Small Desk, Germany, 1780-1800
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI side table or desk, Germany, 1780-1800. Cherry veneer with ebonized neoclassical style inlays of vases and garlands.
Very unusual design. This unique table could be used a...
Category
1780s German Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
Georgian Mahogany Slant Front Bureau / Desk
Located in Woodbury, CT
George III figured mahogany slant front bureau/desk. Fall has moulded edge and mahogany crossbanding above four graduated drawers with original lock...
Category
18th Century British George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
18th Century Spanish Trestle Style Writing Table, Rich Wood Grain, Iron Hardware
Located in Madrid, ES
This 18th century Spanish trestle style writing table has a tabletop of one single wide plank, and the leg sections, or trestles, are joined with sliding dovetail joints and fastened...
Category
18th Century Spanish Rustic Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Louis XIII Style Barley Twist Desk with Green Leather Top
Located in Birmingham, AL
A fine 18th century carved French Louis XIII style bureau plat or desk handcrafted of solid oak by skilled Breton artisans, circa 1730s. The rectangular top with a gadrooned beveled ...
Category
18th Century French Louis XIII Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
French Mid-Century Dining Table/Desk with Leaf
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful 1940s MidCcentury French dining table with 1 leaf. Splayed leg base. Marked "XXXXVIII" and "48" on bottom. Could make a fabulous desk! Very good looking piece in great orig...
Category
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Architectural Mid Century Desk, 1940s, Sweden
Located in Berlin, DE
Architectural mid century desk, 1940s, Sweden.
Category
1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th Century Louis XV French Oak Writing Table with Scalloped Shaped Top
Located in Dallas, TX
An 18th century French country Louis XV style writing table-end table. This lovely oak table features a scalloped shaped top, one drawer and cabriole legs.
Category
Mid-18th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Lovely George III circa 1780 Double Sided Walnut Partner Desk Original Handles
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning very rare original George III circa 1780 walnut twin pedestal double sided partner desk with period handles and green leather surface...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ostrich Leather, Walnut
Sheraton Period Rosewood Artist's Boneur Du Jour
Located in London, GB
An unusual late 18th century Sheraton period rosewood artist's Bonheur du Jour boxwood and ebony strung and satinwood banded throughout, having brass galleried upper part above fold-...
Category
18th Century English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Antique French Painted Wood Bonheur-du-jour or Occasional Table w/Single Drawer
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French smaller-sized painted wood table, with single drawer, from the turn of the 18th and 19th century. This antique table from France features a rectangular-shaped top with lovel...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th Century Sheraton Satinwood 'Bonheur du Jour'
Located in London, GB
An unusual late 18th century satinwood 'Bonheur du Jour,' boxwood and ebony line inlaid throughout, having fiddle-back mahogany bow paneled doors with central drawer and recess, abov...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Satinwood
Portuguese Late Baroque Rosewood 2-Drawer Center Table or Desk, 18th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
Having a substantial rectangular top with molded edge above a rounded case housing two long drawers which are mounted with shaped metal escutcheons, the opposite side with false fron...
Category
Late 17th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
English Chippendale Mahogany Architect’s Desk or Design Table, circa 1780
Located in Milford, NH
A wonderful English Chippendale crotched mahogany architect’s desk or design table with adjustable rectangular top that raises from a flat position to an elevated standing position, ...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
English Leather Top Center Table on Castors
Located in Wilson, NC
This leather top center table has its original open fretwork handles, lock, and castors. The drawers are fully lined with solid mahogany as a...
Category
1770s English Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Outstanding Industrial Iron Desk
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Extraordinary iron desk, vinyl top, nice shaped legs.
Six drawers and very nice sculptural back.
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Gio Ponti Style Modern Italian Library or Dining Table
By Gio Ponti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sharply tailored mahogany writing or dining table with single side drawer and sculpted legs ending in brass sabots. Measure: Drawer is 20.5" deep and 19.25" wide.
Category
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
18th Century Brazilian Peroba Wood Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
An 18th century table of peroba wood from Brazil. This antique Brazilian occasional table has a simple, bucolic design with a rectangular plank board top which overhangs the simple a...
Category
Early 18th Century Brazilian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th C. Walnut Table / Desk with Twisted Legs
Located in East Hampton, NY
Wonderful walnut table with turned legs and a single drawer.... a great night stand for a King bed.
Category
Late 18th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
17th Century Painted Italian Trestle Table with Walnut Top
Located in Wichita, KS
Fabulous 17th century Italian trestle dining table with and 18th century walnut top. The legs have original finish. The top is thick walnu...
Category
17th Century Italian Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut, Wood
Swedish Gustavian Writing Desk, Late 18th Century, Late 1700s
Located in New York, NY
A Swedish late Gustavian writing desk, late 18th century in excellent antique condition.
Key included.
Restored with additions. Slight damages, wear and repairs due to age and as ...
Category
Late 18th Century Scandinavian Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
18th Century Portuguese Writing Table
Located in High Point, NC
18th century Portuguese writing table with fabulous hand turned legs and stretchers. The top features a single board top with applied carved molding around the edges, following down to two drawers with cushion raised panels and hand carved beaded...
Category
18th Century Portuguese Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Original George III circa 1780 Double Sided Walnut Partner Desk Lion Head Handle
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning very rare original George III circa 1780 walnut twin pedestal double sided partner desk with Lion head handles and brown leather surf...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Outstanding 17th Century Italian Walnut Writing Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
An outstanding 17th century writing table from Northern Italy. Beautifully constructed from rich walnut with an impressive solid board top, lyre legs and handsomely turned stretchers...
Category
17th Century Italian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique and Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Choosing the perfect writing desk or writing table is a profoundly personal journey, one that people have been embarking upon for centuries.
Queen Atossa of Persia, from her writing table circa 500 B.C., is said to have been the originator of the art of handwritten letters. Hers was reportedly the first in a long and colorful history of penned correspondence that grew in popularity alongside literacy. The demand for suitable writing desks, which would serve the composer of the letters as well as ensure the comfort of the recipient naturally followed, and the design of these necessary furnishings has evolved throughout history.
Once people began to seek freedom from the outwardly ornate styles of the walnut and rosewood writing desks and drafting tables introduced in the name of Queen Victoria and King Louis XV, radical shifts occurred, such as those that materialized during the Art Nouveau period, when designers longed to produce furniture inspired by the natural world’s beauty. A prime example is the work of the famous late-19th-century Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí — his rolltop desk featured deep side drawers and was adorned with carved motifs that paid tribute to nature. Gaudí regularly combined structural precision with decorative elements, creating beautiful pieces of furniture in wood and metal.
Soon afterward, preferences for sleek, geometric, stylized forms in furniture that saw an emphasis on natural wood grains and traditional craftsmanship took hold. Today, Art Deco desks are still favored by designers who seek to infuse interiors with an air of luxury. One of the most prominent figures of the Art Deco movement was French decorator and furniture designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. With his use of neoclassical motifs as well as expensive and exotic materials such as imported dark woods and inlays of precious metals for his writing desks, Ruhlmann came to symbolize good taste and modernity.
The rise in appreciation for Scandinavian modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary writing desks. It employs the “no fuss” or “less is more” approach to creating a tasteful, sophisticated space. Sweden’s master cabinetmaker Bruno Mathsson created gallery-worthy designs that are as functional as they are beautiful. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto never viewed himself as an artist, but, like Mathsson, his furniture designs reflected a fondness for organic materials and a humanistic approach. Danish designers such as Hans Wegner introduced elegant shapes and lines to mid-century desks and writing tables, often working in oak and solid teak.
From vintage desks to contemporary styles, 1stDibs offers a broad spectrum of choices for conducting all personal and business writing and reading activities.
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