French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
FRENCH PROVINCIAL STYLE
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: French Provincial
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
18th Century French Provincial Black Painted “Mazarin” Pedestal Desk
Located in Shippensburg, PA
PROVINCIAL EIGHT-LEGGED "MAZARIN" PEDESTAL DESK IN BLACK PAINT
France, circa last quarter of the 18th century
Item # 403ZLJ18Q
An absolutely stunning eight-legged "Mazarin" pedestal...
Category
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Paint
Carved Floral Back 18th Century Country French Carved Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a rare form of Country French desk. The desk features what appears to be oak and walnut construction and a parquet top with antique age cracks in the top. WE CAN REPAIR THIS ...
Category
1780s French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Restored Late 18th-Century French Antique Secrétaire with Intricate Carvings
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Step back in time with our exquisitely restored French Antique Secrétaire, a genuine late 18th-century gem. Expertly crafted from premium walnut woo...
Category
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
18th C. Country French Walnut Writing Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A two tiered desk with elevated section at back with slots for papers and four curved supports. The lower overhanging surface with banded sides and serpe...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
French Mid-18th Century Louis XV Period Petit Desk or Side Table
By Camard
Located in Southampton, NJ
Fine Mid-18th Century French Louis XV period petit ladies desk or side table handcrafted in solid French walnut. Features a rectangular top with scalloped apron on all sides and sing...
Category
Mid-18th Century Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
18th Century, French Walnut Leather Top Writing Table W/ Bronze Hardware
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Late 18th century hand carved French provincial desk. The desk is carved in walnut and is extremely heavy and sturdy after all the year's of use. The finish has developed a beautiful...
Category
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
French 18th Century Bleached Desk
Located in Seaford, GB
A stunning 18th Century Desk. Made from solid Cherry having 2 cupboards and a central drawer, key present. Finished round the back so can be free st...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
18th Century Country French Child's Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
A late 18th century Country French child size desk, made of solid cherry. Beautifully crafted with turned legs and carved stretcher with center finial. Candle stand on the right, att...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
Louis XV Fruitwood and Marquetry Writing Table, 'Mid-18th Century'
Located in London, GB
A Louis XV ormolu-mounted bois satine and fruitwood marquetry writing table. Adjustable writing slide with black leather panel, gilt-tooled with central motif; full length drawer wit...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
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 Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
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Italy Late 18th Century Regency Walnut Console or Wall Desk Hand Carved
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Antique quality late 18th Century mahogany writing side dressing table desk
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18th Century French Louis XV Desk or Writing Table
Located in Winter Park, FL
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19th Century French Provincial Fruitwood Writing Table Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Diminutive size 19th century French provincial writing table or desk. The table is constructed from fruitwood with a warm patina and lovely wood grain patterns. Fronted by a single s...
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18th Century French Walnut Library Table
Located in High Point, NC
18th century walnut library table from France. The top is made from two planks and is banded with a beveled edge, following down to a simple apron, which contains a single drawer in the front. The table is supported on hand turned barley and vine twist...
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18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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19th Century Country French Provincial Walnut Writing Table Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Handsome 19th century country French provincial diminutive writing table or desk carved from walnut. The top and frieze have a gracefully curved serpentine shape with a small storage...
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19th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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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...
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Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Country French Solid Walnut Leather Top Writing Table Desk
Located in Rockaway, NJ
High quality craftsmanship solid walnut french country desk with leather top.
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20th Century American French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
19th Century French bronze mounted leather top writing desk / tric trac table
Located in Charleston, SC
19th Century French bronze mounted leather top writing desk / tric trac table featuring a removable top that has an inset tooled leather desk on one side and a baize lined card playi...
Category
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
H 27.5 in W 48.25 in D 25 in
18th Century Country French Writing Table ~ End Table
Located in Dallas, TX
18th Century Country French Writing Table ~ End Table was beautifully hand-crafted from solid indigenous walnut, and features amazing style rendered by capable rural artisans with wh...
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1790s French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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18th Century Provencal Hand Carved Walnut Wood Antique Writing Desk Side Table
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Beautiful 18th century Provençal Continental table in walnut and Fruitwood with center drawer. These tables were special commission at the time for either “un Mas “ French country ho...
Category
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
H 29.5 in W 34.5 in D 24 in
Rococo 18th Century Writing Table with Drawer, Origin: Sweden, Circa 1760
Located in New York, NY
Fantastic Rococo 18th century writing table with single drawer with accentuated cabriole legs, origin: Sweden, circa 1760 with all original green color.
The purity of the design lac...
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18th Century Swedish Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Paint, Pine
H 30.52 in W 50.01 in D 27.01 in
Previously Available Items
Large 18th Century French Provincial Desk Bureau
Located in Doylestown, PA
Outstanding, large French provincial desk, bureau,, 18th century, having a gallery with cubby holes over a large flat top over two drawers supported by tap...
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Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Wood
Incredible Late 18th Century French Provincial Country Farmhouse Dining Table
Located in Hopewell, NJ
This lovely walnut late 18th century French Provincial country farmhouse dining table has two generous drawers with original pulls on th...
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1790s French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
H 29.25 in W 64.5 in D 32 in
18th Century French Table
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible 18th century French Provincial oak work table from Normandy with a 2.5 inch thick top supported by chamfered square legs, a well-worn stretcher, a single drawer on one ...
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18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
18th Century French Writing Table
Located in Winter Park, FL
A late 18th century French writing table, or desk, from the East of France, made of solid oak using pegged construction. Beautifully ...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Antique 18th Century Fruitwood Country French Library or Writing Desk
Located in Dayton, OH
Late 18th century French fruitwood writing desk. Features two drawers, brass hardware, scrolled aprons, and cabriole legs.
Category
Late 18th Century Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood
18th Century French Provincial Fruitwood Writing Table or Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Charming 18th century handcrafted fruitwood writing table or desk from Normandy, France. Made in the French provincial period featuring a flip-top that opens to reveal a fitted stora...
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18th Century Country French Farmhouse Work Table or Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rustic 18th century country French provincial style farmhouse work table or writing table desk. Features a beautifully aged and distressed patina ...
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18th Century French Writing Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A fine provincial desk with a central drawer. Mellow walnut patina and an elaborate
apron distinguish the piece/ Beautiful scale and design.
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Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Antique French Farm Dining Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This Late 18th Century French Provincial Style Dining Table is in good condition has the original natural color staining, and has been wax and polished giving it a beautiful patina f...
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Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Early French Walnut Table
Located in Houston, TX
Early French walnut table with mortise and tenon construction. Past restorations, expected evidence of worm damage (newly fumigated) and recent tig...
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Early 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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18th Century Country French Fruitwood Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
18th century Country French fruitwood desk was fashioned by talented rural artisans from local fruitwood, and features a finish on all four sides...
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1770s French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Fruitwood
18th Century French Country Louis XV Desk
Located in Doylestown, PA
A charming 18th century Louis XV style bureau plat in cherrywood, with 2 large drawers on cabriole legs, the back nicely paneled to face into a room.
On one end is a pull-out writin...
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Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
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Cherry
French Provincial desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique French Provincial desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage desks and writing tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables, case pieces and storage cabinets, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used French Provincial desks and writing tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original desks and writing tables, popular names associated with this style include Baker Furniture Company, Camard, Dal Vera, and Dos Gallos Studio. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for desks and writing tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $675 and tops out at $30,579 while the average work can sell for $3,051.
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