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Antique Danish Louis Philippe Empire Style Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Danish Louis Philippe Empire Style Mahogany Secretary Desk
This exquisite 19th-century
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Danish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Metal
Early 19th Century, Empire Solid Walnut Secretary from Germany
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Very rare small oblique flap secretary made of solid walnut from the time of the Empire. Two
Category
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Secretaires
Materials
Pine, Walnut
Antique Mahogany American Empire Colonial Small Secretary Writing Desk Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Mahogany American Empire Colonial Small Secretary Writing Desk Table. Item features
Category
Antique 19th Century Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Fine Empire Style Fall-Front Secretary in Walnut with Marquetry
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
Empire style, this handsome secretary has a beautiful design and is very finely constructed. Marquetry
Category
1990s Italian Empire Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Antique American Empire Carved Flame Mahogany Secretary, Bookcase
Desk, C1840
Located in Big Flats, NY
***
Antique American Empire Flame Mahogany Secretary with Upper Bookcase with Double Glass Doors over Lower
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century American Empire Desks
Materials
Mahogany
Vintage Empire Style Secretary with Brass Detailing
Located in Astoria, NY
A vintage Empire style secretary with brass lion head pulls and brass female busts and claw feet
Category
20th Century American Secretaires
Materials
Cherry
Historic Secretary of the Empire, 1820, Northern Europe, after Renovation
Located in Chorzów, PL
An antique secretary from the beginning of the 19th century. Furniture in very good condition
Category
Antique 1820s Swedish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Swedish Secretary from the Empire Period in Untouched Condition
Located in Kramfors, SE
Swedish antique secretary bureau from the empire period. This secretary is a true survivor in
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Pine
Empire Period Mahogany Napoleon Secretary Attributed to Pierre-Benoit Marcion
Located in Sofia, BG
Beautiful mahogany desk and mahogany veneer, dating from the early 19th century, Empire period
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Petite 1860s French Empire Style Walnut and Marble Drop-Front Secretary
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very small French Empire style walnut drop-front secretary with dark grey marble top from the mid
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Empire Night Stands
Materials
Marble
Antique French Empire Walnut Drop Down Secretary Secretaire Desk Abattant
Located in West Hartford, CT
Beautiful tall 19th Century French Empire walnut secretaire abattant features elegant patterns
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Empire or Biedermeier Chest with Secretary in Birch with Ebonized Details
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very handsome Biedermeier or Empire Chest in Birch with decorative inlays of ash on the top and
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Birch
American Empire Style Crotch Mahogany Secretary and Bookcase, Late 18th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
American Empire Style Crotch Mahogany Secretary and Bookcase, Late 18th Century. Five shelves on
Category
Antique Late 18th Century American Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Antique French Empire Mahogany Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marble-Top Abattant Secretary
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Imported French Empire Flame Mahogany Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marble-Top Abattant Secretary
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Empire Marble Top Carved Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
secretary with classical straight lines stands on bracket feet and features round columns on both sides
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Marble
French Empire Mahogany Secretary Desk Cabinet with Drawers ca. 1830
Located in Shippensburg, PA
unmarked
Item # 408LTW21P
A very good Louis Philippe period secretaire à abattant (secretary desk) of
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Vintage "Baker" Crotch Mahogany Empire Style Secretary/Bar
Located in BENSENVILLE, IL
Absolutely stunning vintage crotch mahogany Empire style secretary or dry bar made by highly
Category
20th Century American Secretaires
Materials
Brass
French Empire Brass Mounted, Light Walnut,
Ebonized Secretary, 1stq 19th Cen.
Located in Atlanta, GA
Having a rectangular top above a conforming case housing three drawers, one faux drawer, and a fall front desk with a leather writing surface and interior shelving and secret drawers...
Category
Antique 1810s French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Walnut
Swedish Empire Commode - Secretary, Flame Birch ca. 1820
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Small Swedish commode/secretary in birch veneer with great flame pattern. Ebonized legs and
Category
Antique 19th Century Swedish Secretaires
Materials
Birch
Period French Empire Fall-Front Secretary with Fire-Gilded Mounts, circa 1810
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
This French Empire fall front mahogany Emoire secretaire with original ormolu bronze doré́ mounts
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Ormolu
Antique French Empire Mahogany Secretary Drop Down Desk Abattant
Located in West Hartford, CT
Exquisite tall 19th century French Empire mahogany secretaire abattant which features elegant
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Secretaires
Materials
Granite
Vintage Cherry Wood Secretary Desks-16 Drawers-Office Cabinet-Empire Style-70s
Located in Bussiere Dunoise, Nouvel Aquitaine
Countries.
Exquisite French secretary desks crafted from solid cherry wood feature extensive carvings on
Category
Vintage 1970s French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Empire Fall-Front Secretary in Cuban Mahogany, c. 1825
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very lovely Christian VIII secretary in fine West Indies mahogany with turned finials flanking
Category
Antique 1820s Danish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood, Walnut
Biedermeier or Empire Small Chest of Drawers and Secretary, Sweden, circa 1820
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
. Swedish Empire or Biedermeier, circa 1810-1820.
Measures: 33 3/4" wide x 18 3/4" deep x 37 1/2" high.
Category
Antique 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Ormolu
19th Century Empire Drop-Front Oak Secretary Desk or Abattant, Chest France
Located in Miami, FL
Secretaire a abattant, France circa 1820, Biedermeier period. The outside with fall front and three drawers flanked by two ebonized columns shows a beautiful oak veneer design. The w...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Biedermeier Secretaires
Antique Secretary Desk, Northern Europe, circa 1860
Located in Chorzów, PL
Antique secretary from the mid-19th century. The furniture is currently under renovation
Category
Antique 1860s Swedish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Mahogany secretary, Northern Europe, late 19th century.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Antique secretary desk from around 1880, Northern Europe.
The piece of furniture is currently
Category
Antique 1880s Swedish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Very Rare Transformation Secretary, Commode, Empirestyle, Circa 1890
Located in Greven, DE
Very rare transformation furniture
France
Mahogany
Empire style around 1890
Dimensions: H x
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Empire Revival Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Italian Empire Revival Circular Desk
Located in Astoria, NY
Northern Italian Empire Revival circular correspondence or secretary's desk with diminutive
Category
20th Century Empire Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Birch, Burl
Antique American Mahogany Baltimore
Butler
s
Desk/Secretary Chest, circa 1820
By John Needles
Located in Portland, OR
Antique American mahogany Baltimore 'Butler's' desk/secretary chest, circa 1820. The desk made of
Category
Antique Early 19th Century American American Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
American Classical Secretary Bookcase in Mahogany Attributable to John Meads
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
Mahogany Secretary Bookcase attributable to John Meads, Albany, New York, circa early 1800's. Features
Category
Antique 19th Century American Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
American Mahogany and Stenciled Secretary with Bookcase. NY Circa 1825
Located in Charleston, SC
American mahogany stenciled and painted foliage secretary bookcase with fitted inlaid birds eye
Category
Antique 19th Century American American Empire Secretaires
French 19th Century Empire-Style Secrétaire à Abattant
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
of brass knobs. There are no keys that work the locks for the drawers. This Empire-style secretary
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Flame Mahogany Slant Front Secretary Desk with Bookcase, circa 1850s
Located in South Bend, IN
A stunning antique flame mahogany slant front secretary desk with glass front bookcase
USA
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century American American Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
R. J. Horner Style Victorian Mahogany Glass Front Triple Bookcase with Secretary
By R.J. Horner
Co.
Located in South Bend, IN
An outstanding antique Victorian or American Empire side-by-side triple bookcase cabinet with drop
Category
Antique 1890s American American Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
French 19th Century Mahogany Empire Secrétaire à Abattant
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
¼” W x 30”H. This Empire-style secretary features eye-catching bookmatched mahogany and traditional
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Buffets
Materials
Marble, Brass
Rare Empire Secretaire with Side Drawers, Mahogany, Bronzes, France circa 1810.
Located in Regensburg, DE
Fine, unusual, petite Empire so called Secretaire / Secretary Desk / Escritoire from France around
Category
Antique 1810s French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Empire Secretaire, Walnut Veneer, Gold-Plate, Paw Legs, Vienna, circa 1810
Located in Regensburg, DE
Very fine neoclassical Empire Secrétaire / Secretary / Escritoire / writing armoire from Vienna
Category
Antique 1810s Austrian Empire Secretaires
Materials
Gold Plate
Antique Classical Biedermeier Burled Walnut Empire Abattant, circa 1840
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Classical Empire Biedermeier abattant (drop front secretary) features bookmatched burled
Category
Antique Early 19th Century European Biedermeier Desks
Materials
Bronze
French Empire Antique Secretaire Mahogany and Bronze Mounted Made, circa 1810
Located in Kingston, NY
Fine antique Flame Mahogany and bronze mounted marble top Empire Secretaire. This secretary desk
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Brass
French 19th Century Mahogany Secrétaire à Abattant
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Empire-style secretary features eye-catching bookmatched mahogany and traditional Empire columns down
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Desks
Materials
Stone, Granite, Metal, Brass
French Empire Secretary
Located in Astoria, NY
French Empire secretary in carved wood with gilt metal embellishments and drop front over drawers
Category
Early 20th Century French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
$2,350
Early 19th Century Mahogany Empire Secretary
Located in Berlin, DE
This Empire Secretary was made in Germany, circa 1810. It is mahogany veneer on oak. The
Category
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Oak
Elegant Empire Secretary / Bureau, Copenhagen 1810
Located in Kastrup, DK
Architectural and elegant empire secretary, made in high quality with many refined intarsia details
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany, Maple, Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century French Empire Secretary from Countess of Schulenburg-Wolfsburg
Located in Berlin, DE
French Empire secretary 1815 from Countess of Schulenburg-Wolfsburg.
High-quality Cuba mahogany on
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Oak
Flame Mahogany Empire Secretary
Located in New York, NY
A light, yet infinitely practical piece, comprised of a locking cabinet with floating panel design, featuring a sturdy, fall-front writing surface, six letter-sized and one wide draw...
Category
Antique 19th Century Swedish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Fir, Mahogany
North German/Danish Ash Wood Empire Secretary with Inlay Silhouettes, circa 1810
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
From the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany, once part of Denmark, a handsome Empire
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Birch, Oak, Ash, Kingwood
French 19th Century Petite Empire Secretary
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A petite French Empire mahogany secretary or lady’s correspondence desk. This secretary has an
Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Marble, Brass
American Flame Mahogany Empire Bookcase Secretary, circa 1850
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Period 1850 American Empire secretary desk in flame mahogany. Two-door bookcase, two small drawers
Category
Antique 1850s American American Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Antique American Empire Flame Mahogany Bookcase Secretary, circa 1845
By Anthony Quervelle
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique American Empire secretary offers deeply striated flame mahogany construction with upper
Category
Antique 19th Century American American Empire Secretaires
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
19th Century Empire Mahogany Bureau Secretary with Bookcase
Located in Miami, FL
A very fine Empire secretary in West Indies mahogany, also known as Cuban mahogany, considered to
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Antique Danish Empire Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Round Top, TX
Empire secretary made by a master craftsman in Copenhagen. The upper and middle section, are filled with
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Danish Empire Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Swedish Karl Johan Fall Front Biedermeier Secretary in Mahogany, circa 1820
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A handsome Swedish Karl Johan Empire Secretary a style better known throughout most of Europe in
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Secretaires
Materials
Mirror, Birch, Mahogany
Empire Bronze Mounted Secretary Abattant
Located in Norwood, NJ
Unique slender and narrow stand alone French Empire period Secretaire à Abattant. Drop front panel
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Bronze
Antique Philadelphia Empire Quervelle Carved Flame Mahogany Secretary
By Anthony Gabriel Quervelle
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Philadelphia American Empire flame mahogany secretary features upper glass front bookcase
Category
Antique 19th Century American American Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
1850s French Empire Secretaire a Abattant Brul Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
1850s French Empire secretaire also known as a drop-front brul mahogany secretary desk. White
Category
Antique 1850s French Empire Secretaires
Materials
Mahogany
Baker Signature Empire Style Drop Front Desk / Secretary with Cabinet
By Baker Furniture Company
Located in Toledo, OH
American, mid-20th century, mahogany Empire style secretary by Baker Furniture. Gilt trim, applied
Category
20th Century American Empire Desks
Materials
Mahogany
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Empire Secretary For Sale on 1stDibs
Choose from an assortment of styles, material and more with respect to the empire secretary you’re looking for at 1stDibs. Each empire secretary for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, mahogany and metal. There are many kinds of the empire secretary you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 18th Century to those made as recently as the 20th Century. Each empire secretary bearing Empire hallmarks is very popular. Many designers have produced at least one well-made empire secretary over the years, but those crafted by Baker Furniture Company, Jean Joseph Chapuis and Johan Högman are often thought to be among the most beautiful.
How Much is a Empire Secretary?
An empire secretary can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $6,562, while the lowest priced sells for $1,200 and the highest can go for as much as $155,000.
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.
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