Bureau Secretaire
to
51
426
353
821
4
124
65
46
30
27
23
23
21
18
14
8
5
4
1
356
239
224
4
55
137
12
13
9
10
14
6
21
53
6
3
721
157
155
153
142
752
301
239
234
128
825
825
825
5
4
3
3
3
Sort By
Stripped Oak, Late 19th Century Bureau
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
Solid oak bureau. A very useful stripped bureau with large drawers.
Category
Antique 1890s English Late Victorian Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Early 20th Century Mahogany Bureau Bookcase
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
Fine quality mahogany secretaire with bookcase.
Category
Early 20th Century English Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
English Georgian Figured Mahogany Writing Bureau
Located in Macclesfield, GB
An exceptionally fine quality small Georgian Honduras figured mahogany bureau stood on its original
Category
Antique Late 18th Century English Georgian Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Oak
Late 18th Century Oak Antique Bureau
Located in Darwen, GB
A late 18th century oak bureau on cabriole legs to the front with a shaped apron. Having a
Category
Antique 1790s Secretaires
Materials
Oak
18th Century small Lacquer Bureau Bookcase
Located in Salisbury Wiltshire, GB
A small early 18th century lacquer bureau bookcase. This is an extremely rare example of a bureau
Category
Antique Early 18th Century British George I Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Georgian Bureau Bookcase/Later Chinoiserie Decoration
Located in Hinsdale, IL
Lacquered, gessoed and handpainted chinoiserie decoration on George II bureau bookcase; original
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires
Materials
Elm
Authentic Conical Biedermeier Bureau, about 1830
Located in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
Rare authentic conical Biedermeier bureau made of the finest mahogany. The Biedermeier era is
Category
Antique 19th Century German Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Exquisite "Chinese" Chippendale-Design Bureau Bookcase
Located in Atlanta, GA
beautiful dark mahogany.
This bureau bookcase has almost too many fine details to mention
Category
Antique 19th Century English Secretaires
SERPENTINE BAROQUE BUREAU, DENMARK, 18th Century
Located in Los Angeles, CA
18th Century white oak bureau with serpentine front, iron side mounts and brass door mounts
Category
Antique Early 18th Century Danish Secretaires
Materials
Oak
18th Century Mahogany Architectural Bureau Bookcase
Located in Salisbury Wiltshire, GB
A George II mahogany bureau bookcase, the strongly arched broken pediment centred by a carved gilt
Category
Antique Early 18th Century English Georgian Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Large Victorian Mahogany Cylinder Bureau Bookcase
Located in Poling, West Sussex
A superb quality mid-Victorian period mahogany cylinder bureau bookcase. Of fine construction in
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Victorian Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
A Very Elegant Petite Lady
s Bureau
By Charles Chevallier
Located in Vienna, AT
1743)
A petite and elegant Lady's Bureau in Rosewood, the borders veneered with mit amaranthwood. The
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XV Secretaires
Materials
Tulipwood
A Magnificent George I Bureau Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
A magnificent bureau bookcase with interior fittings of the finest quality. The molded ogeearched
Category
English Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Vintage Teak Bureau / Desk by Remploy, 1970s
By Remploy
Located in Ely, GB
Mid Century, Teak Bureau / Desk Made by Remploy - 1970s.
The bureau has 1 drop-down writing desk
Category
Vintage 1970s British Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Materials
Teak
George III Small Bureau on Stand
Located in New York, NY
A delightful piece of 18th century mahogany furniture, the upper section with a hinged slant front with applied book rest opening to a leather lined writing surface and fitted interi...
Category
Antique 1780s English George III Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Frisian Baroque Oakwood Bureau, Mid-18th Century
Located in Virum, DK
The Frisian bureau is in excellent condition with bracket feet and curved front on either side. It
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Dutch Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Oak
18th Century Chippendale Georgian Mahogany Bureau Desk
Located in Newcastle Upon Tyne, GB
A very good example of an 18th century Chippendale mahogany bureau.
The bureau has four
Category
Antique 1780s English Chippendale Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
English George I Walnut Bureau Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
Circa 1720. A moulded cornice is above a cross-banded mirrored door retaining its original beveled plate opening to shelves; the lower section with a sloping fall with moulded bookre...
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires
RARE MOGENS KOCH BUREAU, DENMARK, c. 1930
By Mogens Koch
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mogens Koch Bureau, Denmark. Rare bureau with writing top/architect's cabinet. Oak with all
Category
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Fine Quality Bureau Bookcase after Thomas Chippendale
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Good early antique bureau bookcase made of a really choice cut of Cuban mahogany. This is one of
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century British Secretaires
Stunning Bureau Carlos IV Style, 18th Century
Located in Carrocera, Spain
Stunning bureau Carlos IV in mahogany with decorative floral motifs all made in whole lemongrass
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Secretaires
18th Century Louis XVI Bureau in Elm
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A fine quality and of great design, late 18th century Louis XVI Danish bureau bookcase in elm, with
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Danish Louis XVI Secretaires
Authentic Baroque Bureau from Frankfurt, about 1740
Located in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
Authentic Baroque bureau made of the finest walnut veneer, provenience of an important family from
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier German Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Rare Authentic Neoclassical Bureau, Berlin, circa 1850
Located in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
. This wonderful Berlin-made bureau provides its owner with both the playfulness of the Gothic style and
Category
Antique 19th Century German Neoclassical Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Dutch 18th Century Burr Walnut Secretaire Writing Cabinet Scriban
Located in Werkendam, NL
-) walnut and inlaid bombed Dutch secretaire / bureau bookcase (scriban) with book matched veneers of the
Category
Antique Early 18th Century Dutch George I Secretaires
Materials
Brass
French Directoire Period, Two-Part Bureau Cylindre
Located in Charleston, SC
bureau cylindre with a commode lower section and an armoire resting on top. The armoire opens with two
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Secretaires
Biedermeier Burled Birch Bureau Cylindre Desk, Sweden
Located in Hollywood, FL
The upper section with three doors, above a roll top writing surface and three drawers below.
Category
Antique 19th Century Swedish Secretaires
Materials
Ebony
Antique English Period Oak Mahogany-Banded Bureau
Located in Port Chester, NY
This slanty-top chest is a good example of the style that was so popular in the 18th century when a gentleman needed such a piece for letters and rent collection records. The age of ...
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires
Materials
Wood
A George I style lacquered Bureau Bookcase
Located in San Francisco, CA
A George I style parcel gilt scarlet lacquered secretary bookcase; overall Chinoiserie decorated w/figures in exotic gardens
Category
20th Century Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Bureau bookcase (cassettone-a-ribalta-con-alzata)
Located in New York, NY
This rococo slant-front secretary is in two parts, with a shaped rectangular top with an arched central cornice flanked by scrolls above two engraved glazed cupboard doors, the arche...
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Secretaires
Materials
Walnut, Fruitwood
English George III Painted Oak Bureau, circa 1760
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
This is a lovely English mid-18th century George III painted oak bureau with stepped fitted
Category
Antique 1760s English George III Secretaires
Materials
Brass
18th Century French Walnut Bureau with Original Metalwork
Located in Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire
18th century French walnut bureau retaining its original handles and metalwork, which is very rare
Category
Antique 18th Century French Secretaires
Materials
Metal
A Very Rare Plum Pudding Mahogany Bureau Bookcase
Located in Dublin, IE
A Very Rare Plum Pudding Mahogany Bureau Bookcase.
Height:7'1"
Width: 38 1/2"
Depth: 22"
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Irish Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Danish Elm Cylinder Bureau Cabinet, circa 1800
Located in BOSTON, MA
Antique Danish bureau cabinet with a cylinder top connected to its' retractable writing surface
Category
Antique Early 1800s Danish Louis XVI Secretaires
Rare 18th Century Northern Italian Lacquer Bureau Bookcase
Located in Sydney, NSW
Rare 18th century Northern Italian Lacquer Bureau Bookcase With Original Finish Decorated With
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Chinoiserie Secretaires
Materials
Lacquer
Exceptional Burr Walnut Imperial Monogrammed Bureau-Bookcase, Scriban
Located in Werkendam, NL
Unique Louis XIV figured burr-walnut and inlaid (circa 1735) Dutch bureau-bookcase with book
Category
Antique 18th Century Dutch Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Brass
An English late 18th century mahogany bureau bookcase.
Located in Miami, FL
An English late 18th century mahogany bureau bookcase.The bookcase has a wonderful golden color to
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Bureau Danish Biedermeier Early 19th Century Cylinder Top
Located in Santander, ES
Early 19th century Biedermeier period Bureau of Danish origin of finely figured mahogany veneers
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
George I Oak Bureau Dating from circa 1710
Located in East Sussex, GB
A George I Oak bureau dating from circa 1710. The rectangular top with moulded edge above a fall
Category
Antique Early 18th Century English George I Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Charles X Bureau-Plat, France 1825, Writing Desk
Located in Bamberg, DE
France, around 1825
This unusually large, free-standing piece of writing furniture stands on eight columnar legs with two elegant pedestals, the frame has threedrawers on the work...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Charles X Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Early 20th Century Georgian Style Burr Walnut Bureau Bookcase
Located in Poling, West Sussex
A superb burr walnut bureau bookcase in the early Georgian style and of compact proportions. Dating
Category
Early 20th Century English George I Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Mahogany Blonde Bureau Bookcase/Desk
Located in Richmond, VA
Early 19 Century English Mahogany Blonde Bureau Bookcase/Desk
Category
Antique 19th Century English Secretaires
Rare Louis-Seize Bureau by Christoph Hopfengaertner, about 1790
Located in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
members of the high bourgeoisie and the nobility. Several of his bureaus can be found in art museums
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swiss Louis XVI Secretaires
Materials
Maple, Oak, Walnut
Bureau Biedermeier with Cylinder Top 1850s with Fine Mahogany
Located in Santander, ES
Outstanding Danish Biedermeier cylinder top Bureau dating to the mid-19th century with impressive
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Danish Biedermeier Secretaires
18th Century English Red Lacquer Double-Domed Bureau Bookcase
Located in Millbrook, NY
Fine English 18th century red lacquer double-domed bureau bookcase with chinoiserie decoration. The
Category
Antique 1720s British Queen Anne Secretaires
Materials
Lacquer
Paolo Buffa mahogany bureau with inlay, Italy circa 1940
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Macclesfield, Cheshire
A rare mahogany bureau of elegant form by Paolo Buffa.
Beautifully inlaid.
The top frieze decorated
Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Danish Baroque Oakwood Bureau with Iron Handles, Late 18th Century
Located in Virum, DK
A Danish Baroque oakwood bureau with iron handles, late 18th century.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Danish Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Courtly Baroque Bureau a Trois Corps, Palatinate Region, circa 1730
Located in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
Luxurious courtly Baroque bureau a trois corps coming from the provenience of Palatinate high
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier German Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Baroque Style Inlaid Bureau, Second Half of the 20th Century
Located in Liverpool, GB
A beautiful, visually impressive and very functional, almost 2 m tall bureau stylized as a late
Category
Mid-20th Century European Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Danish 18th Century Walnut Bureau Cabinet, Baroque, Made circa 1750
Located in Aabenraa, DK
Danish 18th century walnut Bureau cabinet, Baroque. Made circa 1750.
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Danish Baroque Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
18th Century Louis XVI Elmwood Bureau Cabinet, Denmark, circa 1780
Located in Aabenraa, DK
18th century Louis XVI elmwood bureau cabinet, Denmark, circa 1780.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Danish Louis XVI Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Victorian Period Light Oak Slant Front Bureau Secretary Butlers Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
This antique bureau desk was hand-crafted in Victorian England around the year 1870. Today the
Category
Antique 1870s English Victorian Secretaires
Materials
Oak
George I Period Burl Walnut Bureau Cabinet of Small Size
By William Old and John Ody
Located in Fresno, CA
George I period burl walnut and feather banded bureau cabinet of small size. The upper section with
Category
Antique 1720s English George I Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Small Louis XV Oak and Inlaid 18th Century Bureau, circa 1750
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
This is a lovely small Louis XV oak and inlaid mid-18th century bureau with fitted interior and
Category
Antique 1750s French Louis XV Secretaires
Materials
Brass
English Bureau Bookcase or Secretary, Exceptional Color and Style Inlaid Leather
Located in Athens, GA
English Bureau bookcase or secretary in light mahogany. Inlays on the inside, handsome black
Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Chippendale Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
English Antique Oak Bureau Tambour Roll-Top Writing Desk Chest Edwardian
Located in Newcastle upon Tyne, GB
An impressive Edwardian solid oak roll-top writing bureau.
The tambour fall flap enclosed
Category
Early 20th Century English Secretaires
Materials
Oak
William
Mary Red and Polychrome Japanned Bureau Bookcase, English, circa 1690
Located in New York, NY
A fine William & Mary Red Japanned bureau bookcase with moulded cornice above two mirror glazed
Category
Antique 1690s British William and Mary Secretaires
Materials
Blown Glass, Wood
- 1
- ...
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Bureau Secretaire", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.
Bureau Secretaire For Sale on 1stDibs
Find many varieties of an authentic bureau secretaire available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of wood, mahogany and walnut, every bureau secretaire was constructed with great care. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect bureau secretaire — we have versions that date back to the 18th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. Each bureau secretaire bearing Georgian, Louis XV or Scandinavian Modern hallmarks is very popular. You’ll likely find more than one bureau secretaire that is appealing in its simplicity, but Pier Luigi Colli, Erling Torvits and Giovanni Gariboldi produced versions that are worth a look.
How Much is a Bureau Secretaire?
A bureau secretaire can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $5,694, while the lowest priced sells for $504 and the highest can go for as much as $1,844,713.
Finding the Right Secretaires for You
Your antique, new or vintage secretary desk has become the (chic) saving grace of the "new normal" at home.
Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — are revealed.
Traditionally, a secretary is composed of two parts — a chest of drawers on the bottom and a cabinet with shelves on the top. Taking its name from the French word for the piece, secrétaire, the secretary desk dates back to the 18th century, when Paris-based cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, known for his exquisite marquetry and clever mechanical desks, is thought to have invented the secrétaire à abbattant, or drop-leaf desk.
While the defining drop-down feature of the secretary desk has remained constant, the materials used, as well as its configuration, size and style have evolved over time.
At first, secretaries were typically made from exotic woods, like rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood; later, hardwoods like cherry, maple, oak and mahogany were more common. The desks also became lighter, with space carved out of the lower half for the writer’s feet or with drawers replaced by legs — making them more table-like.
When open, the secretary is a dynamic, versatile Wunderkammer. When closed, it’s a sophisticated, space-saving piece of furniture.
“A fine secretary with a good provenance adds stature and credence to its owner — it is a cornerstone piece,” says antiques dealer Stanley Weiss, who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. “In this disposable world, fine furniture is always passed on and speaks to who its owner is.”
No matter what style or period you choose, and no matter how you decide to use it, the timeless, flexible secretary desk is bound to become an indispensable part of your daily routine.
Browse a range of antique and vintage secretary desks on 1stDibs, including mid-century modern secretaires, Georgian secretaires and others.
Read More
37 Cheerful Home Bars, Where Everybody (Literally) Knows Your Name
Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.
The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.
What Exactly Is a Secretary Desk, and What Is It Used For?
The furniture equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, it's the multifunctional piece you didn't know you needed.
This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once
Italian studio DimoreMilano mustered great ingenuity when crafting these sculptural shelves, which are built without any screws.
Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition
Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.
Collected and Eclectic, ‘Wunderkammern’ Are Back in a Big Way
Introduced nearly 500 years ago, curiosity cabinets are finding new fans among today's collectors and designers.
Meet the Incredible Woman Transforming Fallen Trees into Sleek Furniture
In the hands of New York Heartwoods cofounder Megan Offner, unwanted local trees become works of design art.
These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project
From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.
More Ways To Browse
Men Suits
Full Flap
Tall Painted Swedish Cabinet
Bone Flute
Spanish Secretary
1940s Bureau
Antique Bureau With Mirror
English Oak Secretary
Gustavian Tall Cabinet
Marble Top Bureau
Petite Etagere
Secretary With Glass Doors
Spanish Bureau
Clock Secretary
Mulberry Cabinet
Antique Butler Secretary Desk
Antique Secretary With Glass Doors
Birch Bureau