Skip to main content

Secretaires

to
250
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
800
1,480
76
11
1,500
1,249
1,567
1,497
1,525
Secretaires For Sale
Mid Century Danish Modern Teak Flip Top Secretary Desk
Located in Esperance, NY
For sale is this very nice vintage danish flip top desk.
Category

1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

1960’s Italian Inlaid Secretaire
Located in Bradenton, FL
An Italian inlaid Venetian-style secretaire, circa 1960. Decorated throughout with walnut veneers, the drop front desk and two serpentine drawers are inlaid with satinwood marquetry ...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Biedermeier Secretary Desk, South German, 1820
Located in Belmont, MA
Biedermeier secretary desk, South German 1820. This unique and very beautiful secretary desk dates back to the early phase of the Biedermeie...
Category

1820s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Elm, Walnut

Spanish Cabinet "Bargueño" Walnut, Wrought Iron, Stone, 17th Century
Located in Miami, FL
The rectangular locker rests on chest with legs, and has four drawers decorated with diamonds that lock and fittings and shield shown horseshoe. Answer...
Category

17th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Arne Vodder Danish Teak Vanity Secretary Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Arne Vodder Danish Teak Vanity Secretary Desk Beautifully designed teak vanity secretary desk by Arne Vodder, a celebrated figure in Danish modern design. This multi-functional piec...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires

Materials

Teak

Swedish Gustavian Painted Secretary Cabinet Bookcase
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Gustavian Painted Secretary Cabinet Bookcase, Sweden Antique Swedish secretary cabinet in Gustavian Style. The cabinet is a well crafted pie...
Category

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

19th Century Louis XV Chinoiserie Writing Desk
Located in Charlottesville, VA
This petite desk has the most charming decoration. It is done in chinoiserie.
Category

19th Century French Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Paint

A drop-front secretary desk in mahogany veneer - René-Jean Caillette - France
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A beautiful drop-front secretary desk in mahogany veneer, designed by René-Jean Caillette for Rosier SNA furniture, stamped on the back and dating from the 1950s. This piece exemplif...
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Secretary Swedish Rococo. Black
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant Swedish Rococo Secretary Desk in Black-Painted Pine. Executed in a beautiful and characteristic Rococo style with a wavy body, sides, and back. The slanting writing flap with...
Category

Late 18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass, Iron

Hand Painted White Baroque Secretaire, Saxony 18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque writing secretaire with slanted flap and curved front and frame. The secretaire has two large drawers and behind the arched writing flap small drawers and a deep compartment....
Category

18th Century German French Provincial Antique Secretaires

Materials

Softwood

Baroque Fall-Front Secretaire, Mid-18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque fall-front secretaire with a glazed two-door upper cabinet and a shaped cornice. Veneered in walnut with elegant parquetry decoration. The brass mounts display asymmetrical f...
Category

Mid-18th Century German Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Grosfeld House 1940s Secretary by Lorin Jackson
Located in Hanover, MA
Lorin Jackson for Grosfeld House 1940s cabinet bookcase in mahogany featuring a pull-out secretary with writing surface. Distinctive Grosfeld "Glassic" lucite ring pulls with sunburs...
Category

1940s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Extraordinary Mahogany Sécrétaire À Abattant, Circa 1810
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Secrétaire à abattant with arched bonnet and a fall front elaborately decorated with brass and copper inlay along with a scarab form drop pull. The arched door drop down to reveal co...
Category

Early 19th Century Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass, Copper

English 19th Century Walnut Campaign Butler s Desk with Three Drawers
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English walnut Campaign butler's desk from the 19th century with writing area, three drawers, bracket feet and brass hardware. This 19th-century English walnut Campaign butler's d...
Category

19th Century English Campaign Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Mid Century English Pine Farmhouse Slant Top Standing Desk Dresser Secretary 59"
Located in Dayton, OH
Charming mid 20th century slant top desk, dresser or secretary. A fun cross between an old standing desk and chifferobe. Features a large slant top that can be used for work or dis...
Category

Mid-20th Century Rustic Secretaires

Materials

Pine

Oak Roll Top Secretary Desk with Drawers
Located in Madrid, ES
Oak secretary / writing desk from circa 1900's. Featuring a roll-up flap with underlying writing board, shelf interior and two drawers. Below the writing desk there are two pull-out ...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Fantastic Paint Decorated Faux Marble Interior Venetian Secretary Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This fantastic paint decorated Venetian secretary desk with faux marble interior is a remarkable statement piece that captures the artistry and elegance of 19th to early 20th century...
Category

Early 1900s Italian Louis XV Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Antique English Jacobean Carved Burl Mixed Wood Drop Down Secretary
Located in Southampton, NJ
An early 20th C. Jacobean style bar cabinet Secretary with drop down front & three drawers. Lovingly restored, our refinishers removed 4 layers o...
Category

Early 20th Century American Jacobean Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Vintage Danish Modern Rosewood Secretary Desk
Located in Gardiner, NY
Authentic vintage mid century Danish / Scandinavian Modern rosewood secretary desk / dresser / chest of drawers / cabinet / sideboard. This piece is in excellent condition with very...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires

Materials

Rosewood

Scandinavian Modern Teak Secretary by Gunnar Falsig 1960s
Located in Asaa, DK
Scandinavian Modern teak secretaire by Gunnar Falsig 1960s. Mid-century Modern Danish secretaire with curved front. Very elegant and versatile, both a writing desk and a chest of dr...
Category

1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

Early 19th Century Swedish Painted Secretary Cupboard in Grey with Patina
Located in Atlanta, GA
An exceptional early 19th-century Swedish secretary cupboard, circa 1810–1830, finished in soft grey with a beautifully aged patina. Crafted from oak and pine, the two-part construct...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Secretaires

Materials

Pine

18th Century Baroque Bureau In Walnut With Inlays
Located in Kastrup, DK
A very beautiful Baroque bureau. Thick walnut veneer with inlays. Hidden "secret" locking system for the drawers in the upper section. Grate quality Ni...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass, Iron

European 1800s Two-Part Painted Wood Secretary with Slanted Front Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
A tall European painted wood two-part secretary from the early 19th century, with molded cornice, dentil molding, slanted front desk and graduated drawers. Created in Europe during t...
Category

Early 19th Century European Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Early 19th Century German or Danish Secretaire, Mahogany, Biedermeier, c. 1815
Located in Greven, DE
Small antique Biedermeier secretary Schleswig-Holstein Mahogany and others Biedermeier around 1815 Dimensions: H x W x D: 137 x 88 x 45 cm Description: Piece of furniture standing...
Category

1810s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Birch, Mahogany, Maple

Vintage French Provincial Blue Painted Bookcase Tall Secretary Desk by Danby
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage French Provincial Blue Distress Painted Bookcase Tall Secretary Desk by Danby. Item features shell carved accents, working lock and key, solid wood construction, great style ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Secretaires

Materials

Wood

18th Century Hand-Painted Venetian Style Parma Blue Pesaro Secretary with roses
Located in Ronchi dei Legionari, IT
From our Hand-Painted Furniture Collection, we are pleased to introduce you to our Parma Blue Pesaro Secretary with Roses. We love how the choice of sweet curves and pastello colors ...
Category

2010s Italian Other Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Extraordinary Italian Parquetry Bureau Cabinet Trumeaux Rome, 1740
Located in Rome, IT
Outstanding Italian 18' century walnut, parquetry bureau cabinet fruitwood inlaid with scrolling foliage, The upper section with a shaped carved cresting centered by a cartouche-sha...
Category

Early 18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Walnut

Large Swedish Painted Secretary from Värmland, Dated 1854
Located in Atlanta, GA
This impressive mid-19th century Swedish secretary from Värmland, dated 1854, is a striking example of Scandinavian craftsmanship and functional elegance. Monumental in scale and bea...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood, Pine

Tall Oak Secretary Bureau from Sweden, circa 1800-20
Located in Round Top, TX
This 7' tall oak secretary is an elegant statement piece crowned with an elaborate carved pediment over paneled cabinet doors. The secretary has been given a professional custom laye...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Italian Mid-Century Brass Inlaid Secretary, by Paolo Buffa
Located in Lyndhurst, NJ
A fine example of a Mid-Century rosewood secretary by Italian designer, Paola Buffa (1903-1970) and brass intarsia inlay by artist Giovanni Gariboldi (1908-1971). The upper case with...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker
Located in Pasadena, TX
Chippendale style mahogany secretary desk by Milling Street Baker 10 drawers with brass pulls. Desk has ample storage space, featuring 10 drawers. Mi...
Category

Late 20th Century North American Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Burl

Burr Walnut Clapper Empire Secretaire with Detached Columns and Secret Drawer
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This beautiful Empire clapper secretaire is made of burr walnut. It has very elegant detached columns with Fine chiseled bronze elements on top and bottom of each column. Inside of the secretaire there is leather desk and several drawers including a secret drawer...
Category

1850s French Empire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

vintage secretary cabinet 1960s Swedish
Located in Lemmer, NL
Vintage bureau cabinet 1960s Sweden Period 1960s Design Unknown Sweden Condition Good Minor signs of wear Size 102 x 88 x 45 cm (H x W x D) Details Teak; Brass; Item num...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

18th Century Swedish Gustavian One Part Pinewood Bureau - Antique Secretaire
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 18th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian one part bureau made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, in good condition. The Scandinavian secretaire table, desk is composed with a wr...
Category

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Metal

Fine William And Mary Oyster Veneer Cabinet On Chest
Located in Bradenton, FL
A very fine quality late 17th century Oyster veneer cabinet on chest from the Queen Anne/William and Mary period with outstanding patina and nutty color, and of desirable proportions...
Category

Early 18th Century English William and Mary Antique Secretaires

Materials

Olive

19th Century Swedish Two-part Secretaire Circa 1810
Located in Atlanta, GA
This stunning 19th-century Swedish two-part secretaire, crafted circa 1810, exemplifies the timeless elegance of Gustavian design. Featuring a beautifully aged painted finish in soft...
Category

19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Secretaires

Materials

Pine

English Mahogany Secretary Desk, 19th Century
Located in Southampton, NY
English Mahogany secretary desk, 19th century Three pieces: Crown, upper drawers and lower cabinet. Lowest draw pulls out as a secretary desk. Measures: 21" deep x 46.5" wide x 80.5"...
Category

19th Century British Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Fine English George III Antique Mahogany Secretary Desk circa 1780
Located in Shippensburg, PA
Of exceedingly good quality, this fine George III secretaire features a molded cornice projecting over glazed doors, each composed of sixteen individual panes of glass divided by int...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

George IIII Bureau Desk or Secretary Chest of Mahogany from the 18th Century
Located in Austin, TX
A fine George III slant top desk or bureau secretary chest of patinated mahogany, c.1770, in the Sheraton style. An inlaid slant front drops to reveal a series of small drawers and ...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Metal, Brass

French Empire Mahogany Bureau à Cylindre Writing Table, circa 1810
Located in Rome, IT
A French gilt-metal mounted mahogany bureau à cylindre writing desk. With a grey marble top over three drawers, the fall enclosing a sliding tan leather writing surface, an interior...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Late 19th Century Spanish Walnut Bureau Bookcase ‘Secretaire’
Located in Miami, FL
A late 19th century Spanish Walnut Bureau bookcase ‘secretaire’ with fretwork open swan neck pediment, centred by a shaped finial, above a pair of doors, slant front enclosed writing...
Category

Late 19th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

18th century Virginia walnut secretary
Located in Richmond, VA
Handsome 18th century Virginia secretary with tailored corner blind panels, bracket feet and fitted interior. Pulls most likely original. Recentl...
Category

1790s American Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

George III 19th C Style Burl Walnut Double Bonnet Secretary Desk Cabinet
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
An incredible stately burl walnut George III 19th Century style secretary by Burton Chiang. The doors open to this grand piece to reveal a slew of secret cubby pigeon holes, secret d...
Category

Late 20th Century American George III Secretaires

Materials

Hardwood

19th Century Victorian Bamboo Chinoiserie Lacquered Secretaire Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Victorian secretaire desk, in the Brighton Pavilion style. Having a frame of burnt bamboo, inset with lacquered panels hand-painted with birds and floral motifs. Its top panel hinged...
Category

1880s British Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Superb Period 1780s era Italian Tombstone Paint Decorated Secretary Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Elevate your interior with this Superb Period 1780s Italian Tombstone Paint Decorated Secretary Desk, a rare and stunning example of 18th-century Italian craftsmanship. Featuring its...
Category

1780s Italian Rococo Antique Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Fine Biedermeier Walnut Secretaire. Vienna, c. 1825.
Located in Vienna, AT
Hello, This elegant and truly exceptional walnut Viennese Biedermeier Secretaire was made in Vienna circa 1825. The Secretaire is an example of beautiful, rare and refined design an...
Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mirror, Maple, Walnut

Secretary Made In Teak, Danish Design From 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
This secretary, designed and produced in Denmark around the 1960s, is a beautiful example of Danish furniture art from this era. Made of teak wood, the secretary exudes a warm and na...
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

Secretair in Teak of Danish Design from the 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
This teak secretaire from the 1960s epitomizes the timeless elegance of Scandinavian design. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, it combines functionality with aesthetic ap...
Category

1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Teak

Eary 19th Century German Empire Secretaire with Ormolu Bustes, Berlin c. 1811
Located in Greven, DE
Antique Biedermeier secretary with fire-gilt bronzes Berlin Curly maple and others circa 1810 Dimensions: H x W x D: 141 x 88 x 49 cm Description: Rare and highly refined Berlin w...
Category

Early 19th Century German Empire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Ormolu

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 Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany, Satinwood

19th Century Swedish Blue Painted Tall Oak Secretary
Located in Round Top, TX
This oak secretary is a striking statement piece with panel doors, dramatic bonnet, three large drawers resting on cabriolet feet. The entire secretary has been given a professional ...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak, Paint

Mid Century Swedish Teak Rolltop Secretary Desk by Egon Ostergaard
Located in Detroit, MI
This iconic vintage mid-century Swedish modern Egon Ostergaard teak cylinder rolltop secretary desk cabinet was made in Sweden circa 1960. The classic Scandinavian modern design has ...
Category

1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Barbarella Writing Desk / Secretary by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, 1966/1985
Located in Kansas City, MO
Ettore Sottsass Barbarella cabinet for Poltronova, Italy. Designed in 1966, produced in 1985. The cabinet features three drawers over a drop-front ...
Category

1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Louis XV Secretary Desk, France 18th century
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite 18th-Century Louis XV Secretary Desk This stunning Louis XV Secretary Desk, dating back to 1770, showcases the elegance of 18th-century Fr...
Category

1760s French Louis XV Antique Secretaires

Materials

Kingwood, Rosewood

Rare Antique Federal American Mahogany Secretary Writing Desk Gothic Bookcase
Located in Dayton, OH
A fine and impressive Federal Period Mahogany secretary and bookcase, circa 1830s. The bookcase features an eighteen pane gothic arched cabinet fro...
Category

Early 19th Century American Federal Antique Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

Secretary Cabinet by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Lyndhurst, NJ
A Macassar ebony secretaire side cabinet with a rectangular stepped top above an open recess and a fall front enclosing a fitted interior, flan...
Category

Early 20th Century Secretaires

Materials

Macassar

Louis XVI Style Secretary by H. Dasson, France, Circa 1880
Located in PARIS, FR
A very fine Louis XVI style upright secretary, executed in veneered wood, finely decorated with painted medallions representing mythological scenes. Fine chiseled and gilded bronze m...
Category

1880s French Louis XVI Antique Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

French Directoire Style Narrow Secretary Desk in Wood, Orange Gray Lacquered
Located in Landivy, FR
This Secretary is a handmade modernized interpretation of the French Directoire style at the end of the 18th century. This period design is remarkable with its straight, classical an...
Category

2010s French Neoclassical Secretaires

Materials

Leather, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer

Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Carved Walnut Secretary Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant, antique fruitwood "Secretaire a Abattant" was crafted in France, circa 1840; the tall secretary with classical straight lines features a shaped top over a frieze drawer. The fall front opens and reveals a fully outfitted inside theater decorated with turned columns on the sides, six functioning drawers, and a wide open niche for books and letters...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Secretaires

Materials

Leather, Walnut

18th Century Hand Painted Venetian Style Electric Blue Pesaro Secretary
Located in Ronchi dei Legionari, IT
From our Capsule Collection, we are pleased to introduce you to our brand new Electric Blue Pesaro Secretary with palms decor in gold-leaf. In collaboration with Damonte & Lacarrieu...
Category

2010s Italian Other Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Antique, New and Vintage Secretaires

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.

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed