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Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

LOUIS XVI STYLE

Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.

Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.

Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.

The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.

Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Louis XVI
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Petite Writing Desk
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
An ingenious leather-topped mahogany writing desk with hidden extensions on each side to add occasional surface area. The leaves on the sides are a matcha green leather framed by gol...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Style Mahogany Flat Desk with Brass Detailing and Green Leather Top
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant Louis XVI style flat desk in mahogany, double-sided and beautifully proportioned, featuring classic neoclassical details and refined craftsmanship. The desk opens at the f...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Italian Louis XVI Style Desk
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Louis XVI Style Desk. This handsome Italian desk or writing table has 2 side drawers and 1 center drawer and bronze pulls. Our desk is finished on all sides so it's the perfe...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Antique French Louis XVI Style Leather top Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Classic 19th century French Louis XVI style desk handcrafted in mahogany and zebra wood with a tooled leather top on a case with four drawers in front with brass hardware, inlaid bor...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

20th Century Wood Louis XVI Style French Writing Desk, 1950s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French writing desk from the mid-20th century. Louis XVI style furniture veneered in mahogany and walnut, rich in gilded and chiseled metal decorations. Finished desk for the center ...
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1950s French Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Louis XVI Ebonized Writing Desk
Located in Austin, TX
French Louis XVI style desk made of solid wood construction, primarily mahogany. It has been ebonized and finished with a lustrous French polish of museum quality. The table is cover...
Category

1920s French Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Early 19th Century Louis XVI Style Gentleman's Bureau Dressing Table Vanity Desk
By Jean-Henri Riesener
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and exceptional large French speckled plum pudding mahogany rosewood marble ormolu flip-top mirrored gentleman's bureau dressing table / writing desk (poudreuse coiffeuse de t...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass, Bronze

Antique Petite French Carved Oak Secretary Writing Desk Table Louis XVI c1890
Located in Shreveport, LA
19th century Petite French carved oak secretary writing desk Louis XVI style ~Direct from France~ ~Beautiful antique French carved oak secretary with fabulous detailing throughout~ ...
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19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Fine Quality Coromandel and Marquetry Inlaid Victorian Period Kidney Lady Desk
Located in Miami, FL
A fine quality Coromandel Victorian style kidney shaped writing table. The kidney shaped top having a fine quality velum green leather writing surface with gilt and blind tooled deta...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Baker Furniture French Regency Louis XVI Carved Cherry Wood Writing Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Regency Louis XVI style writing desk or console table By Baker Furniture, "Milling Road" Collection USA, Late 20th Century Carved cherry wood, with brass capped ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Lombardy Louis XVI Writing Desk, Antique Wood, Italy, c. 1800s
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
A distinctive writing desk in the Louis XVI tradition from Lombardy, Italy, crafted in the 19th century from fine wood and showcasing neoclassical design elements. This piece blends ...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Hardwood

Small French Louis XVI Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
This desk brings timeless elegance and delicate refinement to your home. Crafted from Acacia wood in a soft Country mahogany finish, this piece showcases a smooth top, and turret cor...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Louis XVI Style Desk With Leather Top
Located in Austin, TX
Writing table desk in the Louis XVI style made of Mahogany. The desk has been ebonized and finished in a lustrous Museum quality French polish and boasts an embossed leather top. Fea...
Category

1920s Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Style Desk, circa 1900
Located in Greding, DE
Louis XVI style desk, crafted around 1900. The tabletop features burgundy leather with a surrounding brass trim. Three shallow drawers with refined brass fittings offer practical sto...
Category

Early 1900s Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

19th Century French Walnut Louis XVI Desk
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Beautiful 19th Century French Walnut Louis XVI Desk with immaculate new embossed leather writing surface. French Louis XVI bureau plat table desk...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

18th Century Italian Louis XVI Walnut Antique Desk
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We present this elegant antique Italian desk dating back to the second half of the 18th century, Louis XVI period. An extremely refined desk. Ma...
Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Louis XVI Bureau à Cylindre or Roll Top Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
A fine early 19th century Louis XVI period bureau à cylindre, or roll top desk, made of solid walnut with marquetry veneers of walnut, mahogany and cherry. Pine as a secondary wood. ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Antique Slant-Front Drafting Desk Writing Table
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and exceptionally inlaid antique slant-front drafting desk. circa 1900 Hand-crafted in the early 20th century, likely French, one piece desk on frame form, having a sloped fr...
Category

Early 20th Century Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ebony, Kingwood, Mahogany, Maple, Palisander, Rosewood, Burl, Felt

French Mahogany Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
Crafted with figured flame mahogany, this writing desk features a luxurious leather inlaid surface. The meticulously designed structure includes five drawers surrounding a generous k...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

French Louis XVI Style Desk
Located in Austin, TX
French Louis XVI style desk of mahogany, finished with a Museum quality French polish. The contours of the writing table are covered with gilt brass trims while Pearl trims adorn the...
Category

1930s Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Louis XVI Style Mahogany Writing table
Located in Essex, MA
With rectangular top with rounded corners and beautiful tooled brown leather writing surface with banded wood border and brass edge over a central long drawer and flanked by two draw...
Category

1830s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Louis XVI Walnut Fall Front Desk / Secretaire
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This Louis XVI walnut slant-front secretary desk is a fine example of 18th-century French craftsmanship and sophistication, ideal for collectors and interior enthusiasts seeking time...
Category

18th Century German Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Spruce, Walnut

19th Rectangular Bouillotte Louis XVI Desk Table with Bronze Mounts
Located in Miami, FL
This important writing table is after Jean-Henri Riesener, perhaps the most important furniture maker working in Paris during the reign of Louis XVI. The desk thus demonstrates a cur...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Louis XVI writing desk in walnut. 18th century
Located in Atlanta, GA
A refined Louis XVI period writing desk from the 18th century, crafted in warm walnut with understated brass trim. This elegant secrétaire features a clean, architectural silhouette ...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

20th Century French Louis XVI Style Desk Writing Table Marquetry
Located in Madrid, ES
An elegant writing table, made in Sweden in the Louis XVI style, decorated with marquetry in a neoclassical Greek design in various fruit and walnut woods. Stipe legs, finished in a ...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Antique French Louis XVI Style Leather Top Desk or Bureau Plat
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive antique French desk crafted in mahogany and tulipwood, featuring a top with three tooled leather panels banded in brass on a case with two pullout leather top trays and tw...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

High Adjustable Architect's Desk, Writing Desk, circa 1800
Located in Greven, DE
Antique height-adjustable desk, architect's table, around 1800 France Mahogany circa 1800 Dimensions: H x W x D: 78 x 84 x 50 Height-adjustable to approx. 120 cm, can be folded up...
Category

Early 1800s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century French Louis XVI Walnut Writing Table ~ Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Louis XVI Walnut Writing Table ~ Desk makes an attractive addition to any room, and can double as a center table as it is beautifully embellished from all angles!...
Category

1890s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Theodore Alexander Louis XVI Style Mirrored Églomisé Leather Top Desk Distressed
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 30 1/4 in W: 60 in D: 32 in Elevate your workspace or interior with this exquisite Louis XVI style desk by Theodore Alexander, a striking example of sophisticated c...
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Mirror, Wood

Early 19th Century French Black Lacquered Bureau Plat
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
An impressive early 19th Century French Louis XVI style, black lacquered bureau plat. With is original leather top and bronze mounts. Circa 1800.
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Period Walnut Writing Table with Leather Top
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This small scale late eighteenth century French Louis XVI period walnut lady's writing desk features a gold tooled black leather top. A single drawer pulls out from the side using a ...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Louis XVI Mahogany and Brass Mounted Bureau a Cylindre, Late 18th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The desk with a 1/4 cylinder top that opens to reveal a leather writing surface with pigeon holes and drawers. The gallery with white Carrara marble top.
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Louis XVI Style 19th-20th Century Bronze Mounted Desk Manner Linke
Located in Manhasset, NY
Louis XVI style 19th-20th century bronze mounted desk manner Linke. This spectacular French desk can sit center room as it is finished on all sides with its stunning parquetry inlays...
Category

Early 20th Century Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Style Ormolu and Mahogany Writing Table
By Jean-Henri Riesener
Located in Astoria, NY
Louis XVI Style Ormolu Mounted Mahogany and Tulipwood Parquetry Writing Table, after the model by Jean-Henri Riesener, late 19th century, the parquetry inlaid top with a three-quarte...
Category

Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Louis XVI Table Writing Desk In Walnut - Italy 19th
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant Louis XVI-style writing desk, crafted in solid walnut, dates to the early 19th century and originates from Italy’s Emilia Romagna region. With its restrained lines and r...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

French Painted Wood Skai & Brass Side Table Writing Table One Drawer, circa 1910
Located in Labrit, Landes
French antique side or writing table, circa 1910. Louis 16 style One large drawer The top is recovered with skai. Good antique condition Shipping: 45 / 85 / 75 cm 12 kg
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Antique French Louis XVI Neoclassical Double Faced Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique French Louis XVI Neoclassical Double Faced desk has captured the essence of the architecture and embellishment of ancient Greece and Rome! Han...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Rolltop Desk, France 1780, Mahogany
Located in Belmont, MA
Louis XVI Rolltop or cylinder desk, France, 1780. This original Louis XVI cylinder desk has an elegant mahogany veneer with satinwood inlays. I...
Category

1780s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany, Satinwood

Antique C1870s French Louis XVI Style Inlaid King Wood Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This exquisite antique French Louis XVI style writing desk, dating to the 1870s, showcases the refined craftsmanship and elegance of 19th-century French furniture design. Crafted in ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Fine French Louis XVI Style Marquetry Executive Desk With Leather Top
Located in Elkton, MD
Exquisite French Louis XVI style executive desk featuring a supple tooled leather top and intricate marquetry veneer inlays. Three spacious drawers offer ample storage, each adorned ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

French Louis XVI Style Ormolu and Marquetry Table, Beurdeley Attributed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French 19th century Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted Kingwood and Bois Citronnier Marquetry center table or writing table, attributed to Alfred Emmanuel Louis Beurdeley (Fr...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French Regency Louis XVI Kingwood Marquetry Ormolu-Mounted Leather Top Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
An outstanding French Regency Louis XVI style executive writing desk with ram heads France, 20th Century Kingwood, with inlaid marquetry, bronze trim and ornate ormolu mounts, and ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Louis XVI Style Mahogany Writing Table
Located in Dallas, TX
A 19th century French Louis XVI style small writing table with tooled brown leather top and bronze fittings. This charming and versatile table can be used as an end table, bedside ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Antique Writing Table by Beurdeley After a Model by Adam Weisweiler
Located in London, GB
Antique writing table by Beurdeley after a model by Adam Weisweiler French, c. 1880 Height 74cm, width 83cm, depth 46cm Crafted by the prestigious 19th century furniture makers Beu...
Category

1980s French Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel, Ormolu

18th Century French Walnut Writing Table
Located in High Point, NC
18th century walnut writing table with a banded and beveled edge around the top, following down to a simple apron containing a singl...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Baker Furniture French Regency Louis XVI Cherry and Gilt Wood Petite Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Regency Louis XVI style petite writing desk, console table, or tea table By Baker Furniture USA, Circa 1960s Carved cherry wood, with gold gilt accents, and orig...
Category

1960s American Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Louis XVI Style Center Table or Desk in Lacquered and Gilded Wood, 19th Century
Located in NICE, FR
Italian Louis XVI Style Center Table or Desk in Lacquered and Gilded Wood, 19th Century This exceptional Italian center table or desk exemplifies the refined elegance of the Louis X...
Category

1860s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Glass, Giltwood

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Style Hand Carved Walnut Center Table
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This Louis XVI style walnut writing table from the late 19th century features a hand carved element of a classic crossed torch and quiver with a crown of laurels. Its beveled top res...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

18th Century Louis XVI Bureau à Cylindre or Roll Top Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
A fine late 18th century Louis XVI period bureau à cylindre, or roll top desk, made of solid walnut with marquetry veneers of walnut, mahogany and cherry. In two parts, the cabinet a...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Italy Mid-18th Century Olive Root Wood Desk with Drawings in Regency Style
Located in Brescia, IT
This Italian desk, was manufactured circa 1750 in Tuscany Italy by master cabinet makers in a pregiate wood, the olive root; the fine proportion and the ele...
Category

Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Olive

Louis XVI Tulipwood Leather Top Bureau Plat Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive late 18th century French writing desk with a tooled black leather top, probably original, on a case with three drawers in f...
Category

18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Tulipwood

Neoclassical Louis XVI Style Bronze Mounted Marble Top Console Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Opulent French lacquered console table or petite writing desk crafted from mahogany with a chic light sky blue lacquered finish. The desk features a marble top with a thick patinated...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass, Bronze

Antique French Louis XVI Writing Desk Cognac Leather
Located in Senonches, Centre-Val de Loire
Antique Louis XVI style desk with cognac leather top and gold embossed frieze. The front of the piece has three dovetail drawers with bronze details and keys. The locks work perfectl...
Category

1910s French Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

20th Century French Writing Table Hand Carved and Painted in Louise xvi Style
Located in Sofia, BG
French wooden hand painted table with cognac velvet top. The table is hand carved with typical details for Louise XVI style like the gilt wood ribbons at the front and the fluted leg...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Antique French Ormolu Mounted Escritoire Writing Desk
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique French writing table, also known as an escritoire. This dates from around the 1930’s. It is has a very beautiful and useful design, with a very elegant form. Ther...
Category

1930s French Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ormolu

18th Century Country French Neoclassical Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
18th Century Country French neoclassical secretary is a splendid example of the genre, dating to the reign of Louis XVI himself! The period saw ...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Antique French Louis XVI Style Leather Top Writing Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Refined antique French Louis XVI style writing desk crafted in exotic tulipwood veneer with crossbanding and chevron designs, having a tooled leather top with a brass gallery, the ca...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Iconic Mastercraft Brass Desk With Leather Top
Located in Houston, TX
Iconic Mastercraft Brass Desk With Leather Top. Stunning large mid century brass desk or writing table by Mastercraft. This handsome desk...
Category

1970s American Vintage Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

French Louis XVI Inlaid Burled Walnut Desk with Embossed Leather Top
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Just in from Avignon - this lovely French Louis XVI burled walnut desk has an inlaid molding on all five drawers and a beautiful red embossed leathe...
Category

1880s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Walnut

Bureau Plat Louis XVI Style in Marquetry and Gilt Bronze
Located in BARSAC, FR
Elegant Louis XVI style Bureau Plat in mahogany and marquetry in rosewood frieze. Beautiful ornamentation of very finely chiseled gilt bronze. Moroccan leather top surrounded b...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Louis Xvi desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Louis XVI 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 and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Louis XVI desks and writing tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy 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 Maison Jansen, John Vesey, Paul Sormani, and A.M.E Fournier. 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 $956 and tops out at $230,146 while the average work can sell for $8,500.

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