18th Century Writing Desk
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Swedish Bureau in Two Parts, circa 1790
Located in Antwerp, BE
Swedish bureau in two parts, circa 1790. With original locks and keys.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Charming and Rare Early Georgian Mahogany Bureau
Located in London, GB
Almost certainly made by a man schooled in the craft of making walnut bureaux! Although in early 'Cuban' mahogany, it exactly follows the lines and dictums of a walnut veneer piece ...
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany Tray Topped Bedside Commode circa 1760
Located in Avington, Hampshire
Mahogany tray topped bedside commode circa 1760
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier British Desks and Writing Tables
A Fine Neoclassic Mahogany and Brass Bureau Plat
Located in New York, NY
Having a row of 3 drawers on each side. One drawer having an inscription from the eboniste.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Oak Tavern Table with X-Frame Base
Located in San Francisco, CA
Oak tavern table with X-frame base, English, circa 1770.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Antique German Louis XVI French Painted Table with Drawer, circa 1790
Located in Houston, TX
bedside table or writing table desk.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century German Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Bonheur du jour, "à la Grecque"
By Roger Vandercruse dit Lacroix
Located in Geneva, CH
Rare Bonheur su jour "à la grecque" in marquetry of precious wood with motives for vases and utensils on the background of wood of violet in frames of rosewood.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Pair of George III Mahogany Reading Tables
Located in New York, NY
Pair of George III mahogany reading tables with ebony stringing, on telescoping pedestal supports and with adjustable table tops.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English George III Desks and Writing Ta...
$22,000 / set
Table á Ecrire
By Jean-Adelbert Vovis
Located in Vienna, AT
writing slide, below two drawers sans traverse.
France, Epoch Louis XVI ca. 1770 - 1780
Furniture by
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak, Tulipwood, Boxwood
$37,000
Spanish Baroque Trestle Table
Located in San Francisco, CA
Spanish Baroque trestle table, single plank of walnut top, harp shaped trestle base and wrought iron stretcher, circa 1700.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Spanish Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
"Bonheur Du Jour" with Frames
By Adam Weisweiler
Located in Geneva, CH
Rare "Bonheur du jour" in frames, of rectangular shape, in mahogany massif and veneer of mahogany in one nets of ebony and clear wood.
It presents a rich bronze ornamentation very...
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Louis XVI Ormolu-Mounted Marquetry Bureau Plat and Cartonnier
By Mathieu-Guillaume Cramer
Located in London, Middlesex
Veneered in rosewood and stained wood of hearts and diamonds intertwined, ornamentation ormolu; the bureau plat, having a rectangular top with a black Moroccan leather, the frieze ha...
Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Small Liseuse Side Table Louis XVI French Mahogany and Fruitwood, 1780s
Located in Mönchengladbach, NW
Rare small furniture in very good condition. Grey Marble top plate with old brass gallery locks and fittings.
France, Louis XVI, approx. 1780.
Category
Antique 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Brass
Louis XV Period Table
Located in Dallas, TX
Louis XV period table in cherry, C. 1760 Provincial. Center drawer, felt top, carving at knees of legs.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry, Felt
$3,400 / set
Small Baroque Writing Desk with Inlay and Incrustation, 18th Century
Located in Krakow, małopolskie
the 18th century.
Decorated with luxurious ebenist techniques. . Inlaid with walnut and plum wood
Category
Antique Early 18th Century European Baroque Desks
Materials
Ivory, Nutwood
Antique Georgian 18th Century Crossbanded Oak Bureau Desk Writing Table
Located in Wisbech, Walton Wisbech
Antique Georgian 18th century oak bureau desk or writing table.
Attractive mahogany crossbanding
Category
Antique 18th Century British Georgian Desks
Materials
Oak
Antique 18th Century Louis XVI Cylinder Bureau Writing Desk from France
Located in Vienna, AT
Very elegant freestanding antique French cylinder writing desk veneered with polished Acajou
Category
Antique 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks
Materials
Marble, Brass
Writing Cabinet with Marquetry, Alsace, France, 18th Century
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Delightful writing cabinet in marquetry in massive cherry tree. Keyholes and handles are in bronze
Category
Antique 18th Century French Desks
Materials
Bronze
Fine Quality Late 18th Century Satinwood Roll Top Writing Desk
Located in Wiltshire, GB
A fine quality late 18th century satinwood roll top writing desk
Dimensions
Height 39" 99cm
Category
Antique 1780s English George III Desks
Materials
Satinwood
Rare XVIIth century piemontese walnut writing desk
Located in Marseille, PACA
North italian writing desk, dating back to the end of XVII th century , horses carvings on doors ,
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks
Materials
Walnut
Walnut writing table
Located in San Francisco, CA
Italian neoclassical walnut writing table with drop-flaps to each side, three drawers and two doors
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks
Materials
Walnut
$11,500
19th Century French Brass Inlay Rosewood Writing Desk with Cylinder Roll Top
Located in South Newfane, VT
Exquisitely detailed late 18th century French rosewood Campaign style writing desk, inlaid with
Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Desks
Materials
Bronze
Georgian Writing Bureau
Located in Inverness, GB
.
The drawer handles in the desk tidy are ivory and compliment the Conch Shell inlay design.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Georgian Desks
Materials
Mahogany
$1,711
Late 18th Century Sideboard Wardrobe with Writing Desk
Located in Liverpool, GB
Late 18th century sideboard wardrobe with writing desk.
A two-piece piece of furniture with a two
Category
Antique 18th Century Dutch Sideboards
Materials
Walnut, Oak
Mahogany and oak writing table (bureau-plat) by Fidelys Schey
By Fidelys Schey
Located in New York, NY
This desk has a rectangular gilt and tooled brown leather-inset top with molded surround. Each side
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks
Materials
Ormolu
SALE!-Rare Stunning German Baroque Writing Table/ Desk with Chair
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Exceptional, stunning and rare late 18 th c- beginning of 19 th c North German Writing table
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier German Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Elm, Wood
18th Century Louis XIV Walnut Wood Travel Italian Writing Desk, 1750s
Located in Wyboston Lakes, GB
This is like a travel desk, the legs below fall apart and split from the top.
Is in solid walnut
Category
Antique 1750s Italian Louis XIV Secretaires
Period Gustavian Writing Desk
Located in Sheffield, MA
Fall front writing desk from the Gustavian period, Sweden, circa 1800. The drawers and fall front
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Period Bombé Writing Desk
Located in Sheffield, MA
Rococo writing desk, Sweden circa 1760, with an exaggerated bombé form. Fitted interior with four
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Chinese Hand-Carved Rosewood Writing Desk
Located in Birmingham, AL
A Chinese Carved Rosewood Writing Desk, in two parts, the block front superstructure having a
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Period Writing Desk with Original Hardware
Located in Sheffield, MA
Swedish slant-front writing desk, circa 1780, with fitted interior and retaining its original brass
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Georgian I Unique Chest on Chest with Integrated Writing Desk, circa 1720
Located in Mol, BE
The three short and three long featherbanded drawers flanked by reeded canted corners, the base with three further long graduated drawers.
Original handles. Original locks and origi...
Category
Antique Early 18th Century British George I Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
French Boulle Bureau Plat / Library Table, Late 18th Century
By André-Charles Boulle
Located in Charleston, SC
marquetry writing desk is finished on both sides with three drawers on the front and faux drawers on the
Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XIV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Chippendale Metamorphic Chest with Pull Out Writing Desk, 18th Century
Located in Charleston, SC
A Regal English Chippendale Metamorphic Chest having a Pull Out Writing Desk made in the Late 18th
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany, Ivory
Queen Ann Walnut Metamorphic Chest with Pull Out Writing Desk, 18th Century
Located in Charleston, SC
desk made in the early 18th century. This remarkable George I period queen Ann chest has full dust
Category
Antique Early 18th Century English Queen Anne Commodes and Chests of Dra...
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Writing Desk Louis XVI style Walnut Wood
Located in Milan, IT
Louis XVI style, 18th century
Writing desk
Walnut wood, 122 x 82 x 58 cm
The refined
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Writing Desk or Cabinet in Burl Wood, Liège, Belgium
Located in Brussels, BE
18th century writing desk and cabinet in burl wood from the region of Liege, in Belgium.
Category
Antique Early 18th Century Belgian Louis XIV Cabinets
Materials
Burl
Late 18th Century Writing Desk with Marble Top
Located in New York, NY
French Louis XVI writing desk with white marble top. Gilt bronze-mounted top panel has four pull
Category
Antique 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Original Painted 18th Century Writing Desk Secretary, Sweden
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A second part of the 18th Century Baroque Period Scandinavian original Painted Writing Desk
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Swedish Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Brass
18th Century Oak Writing Desk
Located in Asaa, DK
Antique 18th century oak writing desk.
Top with sloped top. Three small drawers inside. Original
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century British Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Writing Desk, 18th-19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque-style writing desk on capriole legs, with seven drawers, a leather-covered writing surface
Category
Antique 19th Century European Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
Late 18th Century Italian Walnut Writing Desk with Fitted Interior & Square Tapering Legs
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Italian Walnut Writing Table/ Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
18th century Italian Renaissance style walnut writing table with two drawers. The table stands on
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Italian Renaissance Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Early 18th Century French Monastery Writing Desk
Located in Charleston, SC
Early 18th century monastery writing desk in original patina and hardwares, locks are without keys
Category
Antique Early 18th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
18th Century Italian Writing Table, Desk
Located in Round Top, TX
A very stunning 18th century writing table - Desk from the Veneto region of Italy. Beautifully
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Writing Desk Gustavian, 18th Century, Sweden
Located in New York, NY
A writing desk made during the 18th century in Sweden. Beautiful bluish black paint. Interior with
Category
Antique 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
18th CENTURY MAZZARINO TYPE WRITING DESK
Located in Firenze, FI
the Lombardy area from the first half of the 18th century (ca. 1720), in the French Mazarino style
Category
Antique Early 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Palisander
18th Century Louis XV Writing Desk
Located in Round Top, TX
A sensational French Louis XV period desk in painted wood and leather top. Tremendous painted
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th c. Italian Writing Desk
Located in Houston, TX
18th century fruitwood Italian desk with hoof-shape feet, two drawers and leather writing surface.
Category
20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Leather
18th Century Wallpaper Top Writing Desk, Italy
Located in New York, NY
18th century Italian weathered wallpaper that has been laminated to create dramatic surface to a
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
18TH CENTURY ITALIAN ROSEWOOD WRITING DESK, NAPLES
Located in Essex, MA
Period Mid-18th Century Italian Rosewood Writing Table. Drawers on one side, faux drawers on other
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
18th Century English Queen Anne Period Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Forney, TX
A wonderful, fine quality period Queen Anne, Early Georgian writing desk (or large dressing table
Category
Antique 18th Century English Queen Anne Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
18th Century Italian Neoclassical Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Carmine, TX
Stunning writing desk hand-made in Italy in the mid 1700s using walnut. This really is the mother
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Neoclassical Italian Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Carmine, TX
Stunning writing desk hand-made in Italy in the mid 1700s using walnut. This really is the mother
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Georgian 18th Century Satin Walnut Bureau Desk Writing Table
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique Georgian 18th century satin walnut bureau desk writing table. Veneer on oak and elm
Category
Antique 18th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Antique 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Writing Table Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Antique late 18th Century carved elegant Swedish Gustavian painted writing desk with hand painted
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
A Louis XVI Kingwood
Tulipwood Inlaid Writing Desk, 18th Century
Located in Sheffield, MA
A Louis XVI Kingwood
Tulipwood Inlaid
Writing Desk with Bronze mounts
Late 18th Century
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
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18th Century Writing Desk For Sale on 1stDibs
Choose from an assortment of styles, material and more with respect to the 18th century writing desk you’re looking for at 1stDibs. A 18th century writing desk — often made from wood, walnut and mahogany — can elevate any home. Find 788 options for an antique or vintage 18th century writing desk now, or shop our selection of 1 modern versions for a more contemporary example of this long-cherished piece. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer 18th century writing desk, there are earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. Each 18th century writing desk bearing Georgian, Louis XVI or Louis XV hallmarks is very popular. Gillows of Lancaster
London, Caspar Frederik Harsdorff and Thomas Chippendale each produced at least one beautiful 18th century writing desk that is worth considering.
How Much is a 18th Century Writing Desk?
The average selling price for a 18th century writing desk at 1stDibs is $6,796, while they’re typically $797 on the low end and $212,272 for the highest priced.
Finding the Right Desks-writing-tables for You
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.
Questions About 18th Century Writing Desk
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, wedding rings have a long history, stretching back to ancient Egypt. The first diamond engagement ring was created in 1477 by Archduke Maximillian of Austria. Browse a wide array of vintage and contemporary wedding rings on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022In the 18th century, art changed in style from Baroque to Rococo and Neoclassicism. Art became more ornamented and idealized during the Rococo period and then shifted toward a style that emulated the artwork of ancient Greece and Rome near the end of the century. You’ll find a variety of fine art on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 13, 2024To identify 18th-century furniture, you can research your piece in the context of the prevailing styles of the period or consult a certified appraiser or experienced antique dealer. To identify your item on your own, look over it for maker's marks, such as carvings, stamps, brands and labels. Researching the marking can help you determine the maker of your piece, and from there, you can search further to learn more about your particular item. Without a maker's mark, the best approach is to consider the characteristics of the dominant furniture styles during the 18th century. In England, these included William and Mary, Queen Anne, Georgian, Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton. Some French furniture styles of the 1700s include Louis XV, Louis XVI and Régence. Find a diverse assortment of 18th-century furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022One way to check if your brass candlesticks are from the 18th century is to look for the two seams running lengthwise on either side. This is from when the candlestick was molded in two halves and then soldered together. You’ll find a variety of candlesticks of all shapes and sizes from some of the top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025The individuals considered the Big Three of 18th-century cartoons are William Hogarth, James Gillray and George Cruikshank. Although the 18th century saw a widespread increase in illustrations in newspapers, these three illustrators were particularly well-known for their work. Hogarth's work was extremely diverse, ranging from serious, realistic paintings and portraits to satirical and moralistic illustrations filled with symbolism. A British caricaturist, Gillray is remembered today for his artworks representing political and social satires, like his political cartoons against George III of England. Despite being a prolific caricaturist, Cruikshank is now most famous for illustrating the works of Charles Dickens. On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of illustrations.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022At the end of the 17th century, Europe went into a frenzy over porcelain. Asian porcelain was highly sought after, and spurred the foundation of the Meissen factory in France, where hard porcelain went on to be made. You’ll find a large collection of porcelain pieces from many of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
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