18th Century Secretaires

Richly inlaid classicist secretary circa 1790-1800 original from Vienna. Some repairs in the past. Very good original condition with sigs of usage.

Dutch secretary desk, Netherlands, around 1800. This elegantly curved secretary desk has three spacious drawers in the lower part. The writing flap ...

Antique French Secretary Desk from the Late 18th Century Explore this French 18th century secretary desk, crafted in France circa 1770-80...

French roll-top desk resting on fluted legs with brass inlays and sabots. The refined fluting continues along the pilasters, creating a cohesive design. The lower section offers ampl...

A secretary made during the baroque period 1650 - 1750 in Sweden. Made from oak. All original. Three drawers and upper interior with drawers and compartements.

Baroque secretary with three drawers and a serpentine front, featuring a fall-front writing surface and an upper tabernacle with a tall door and ten small drawers. The piece is crow...

A Swedish Gustavian period slant front desk from the late 18th century, with carved diamond motifs, multiple drawers, original lock and key. Created in Sweden during the last decade ...

Mahogany glazed secretary from the end of the 18th century of very good quality Very beautiful secretary composed of 4 drawers as well as a theater in the lower part and an upper gl...

A late 18th century-early 19th century Rococo style slant front painted fir Swedish secretary with bonnet top, two doors and multiple drawers. The doors open up on inner shelves, inc...

A magnificent English 18th century Chippendale secretary bookcase of exceptional detail. The composition is marked by a robustness...

this fantastic 2-part secretary cabinet is veneered entirely in a mix of carob-wood, walnut and band inlaid and is a rare example of the workmanship of Norhern Italian craftsmen borr...

Impressive Louis XVI style bureau secretary with quality rich in age, charm, and character with its elegant design. This secretary has two secret drawers features parquerty design, g...

Continental Gustavian-style (Possibly Swedish/ Danish 18th Century) off-white painted secretary with carved column sides and carved simple swag and t...

18th century Baroque cabinet with secretaire, Germany, 1760, walnut veneer. Beautiful piece in excellent condition, professionally rest...

English Queen Anne / George I burl walnut secretary bureau bookcase in two sections. The upper arched top portion with a molded and domed cornice inset with mirrored glass and etched...

Exquisite 18th-Century Louis XV Secretary Desk This stunning Louis XV Secretary Desk, dating back to 1770, showcases the elegance of 18th-century Fr...

Made in Scandinavia in the eighteenth century, this bureau is fitted with unusual and rare hardware. The bureau, a sloping-front writing and storage piece, combines a fall front with...

Dutch trumeau from the Mid-18th Century. Furniture of exceptional quality, richly inlaid in walnut and maple, the interior is covered in oak and the stru...

A French Louis XV period Rococo secretary with hidden compartment, circa 1760. This antique French writing desk features a slant-leaf front...

An Italian monumental sized bureau with flap dating back to the second half of 18th century. Three deep drawers and a fall-front opening to reveal a fitted interior with six small dr...

A refined 18th-century Italian chest of drawers, crafted from solid wood with intricate geometric marquetry and tortoiseshell-effect central panels. The front features six drawers ar...

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff (1735–1799) Denmark, Copenhagen, circa 1780 An outstanding secretary and a masterwork of Danish furniture from the late 18th century, designed by Caspar Fr...

This is a wonderful antique late 18th century Dutch burr walnut and marquetry bombe' bureau. It has been accomplished in burr walnut, with exquisite hand cut floral marquetry typica...

Exquisite Louis XVI Secretary Desk – France, c. 1780-1800 This stunning Louis XVI secretary desk, crafted in France between 1780 and 1800, is a masterpiece of 18th-century craftsman...

Louis XVI Rolltop or cylinder desk, France, 1780. This original Louis XVI cylinder desk has an elegant mahogany veneer with satinwood inlays. I...

This original 18th century Louis XVI Secretaire has a stunning veneer and marquetry. The elegant unique slant-top desk or "secretaire en pente" combines different walnut veneer grains with maple and bird's-eye maple as well as satinwood. The secretaire has three drawers on the outside. The inside of the writing compartment has six small drawers, several open compartments and a secret compartment. This gorgeous and remarkable desk is in very good original condition and has its original patina. It ships from Europe...

A magnificent secretary desk crafted from violet wood and rosewood marquetry, featuring a front panel decorated with four medallions inscalloped shapes. Solid oak frame and a top of...

Refined Louis XVI cylinder bureau from France, circa 1780-1790. The carcass is pine with beautifully figured, thick-sawn walnut veneer; the interior is likewise finished in walnut. T...

An exceptional example of a late George I English secretary desk in walnut, its upper case with a molded broken arch pediment with urn finials surmounting two arched paneled doors, o...

A superb quality late 18th century Georgian mahogany secretaire cupboard having well figured and banded top over one secretaire drawer to frieze, enclosing attractive satinwood in...

Outstanding Italian 18th century walnut, parquetry bureau cabinet fruitwood inlaid with scrolling foliage, The upper section with a shaped carved cresting centered by a cartouche-sh...

A late 18th century English George III mahogany Bureau bookcase ‘secretaire’ with fretwork open swan neck pediment, centred by a shaped finial, above a pair of glazed doors, slant fr...

Baroque slant-front secretary desk crafted from oak and cherry, featuring a three-drawer lower chest with a serpentine front and shaped apron feet. Above is a fall-front writing sect...

Late 18th Century Cylinder Desk with beautiful Patina, 1800, France Cylinder desk with straight sides, closed in the upper part with a semi-circular flap, with two drawers. The whol...

18th century, French Louis XVI inlaid wood secretaire with marble top and gilt bronzes. This elegant secretaire Louis XVI was made in F...

A fine Danish Louis XVI mahogany and fruitwood slant front secretaire, circa 1780-1790, in three parts: the scrolled cornice top above a fruitwood inl...

SmallLouis XV or Baroque Secretary Switzerland (Bern) Walnut Baroque around 1760. Dimensions: H x W x D: 109 x 93 x 60 cm Description: Writing furniture standing on a ...

Exceptional Baroque secretary or writing desk, probably from southern Germany, around 1760. The softwood corpus à deux corps, ornamentally veneered in walnut, burl and other preciou...

An Italian walnut, parquetry bureau cabinet fruitwood inlaid with scrolling foliage, The upper section with a shaped carved cresting, a shaped doors opening to reveal three shelves, ...

Step into the grace and sophistication of the 18th century with our exquisite English oak secretaire, an embodiment of Georgian Chippendale-style craftsmanship. Elegantly merging for...

A fine English mid-18th century mahogany secretaire / secretary / bookcase / china cabinet. Of lovely, deep, rich color, patina and quality. George III-period, circa 1760. The bold, detachable, swan-neck pediment carved with 'Gothic' open fretwork, spiral rosettes and a dentil cornice. The pediment is centred by a small platform below which is a fluted panel. The bookcase / china cabinet section with two, thirteen-pane glazed doors, with three original adjustable shelves with applied beadings for the display of china etc. The base with a pull-out writing section fitted with small drawers, two of which have secret releases. These secret drawers are faced with blind-fret 'Gothic' tracery, and centred by a carved, shaped arch. The base with three cock-beaded drawers, and raised on its original bracket feet which are faced with blind fret. This fine, sophisticated and well-proportioned example of a secretaire / secretary / cabinet / desk / bookcase is remarkable for having survived in its original state including all swan-neck handles and locks. Of superb quality, color, patination, and well figured throughout. With mahogany drawer linings: further confirmation of its superlative quality. Measures: 42" wide (107 cm) 23" deep 58.5 cm) 95" high (241 cm) - without cartouche. A related antique bureau cabinet...

An 18th century French Louis XVI Bureau in Walnut with drop front, inner writing surface and cubby holes.

English Chippendale Kingwood Military Campaign graduated chest with an upper drawer fitted with a hinged fall front secretary revealing a central prospect door with a secret interior drawer, flanking pigeon holes with eight interior drawers, top edge carved with an egg & dart border, three graduated lower case drawers, original recessed brasses and escutcheons, and resting on a carved egg & dart rope skirt with the original bun feet. Late 18th Century Campaign...

Elegant chest with secretaire of the early 18th century, beautiful from the quality that can only be obtained from workshops of great cabinet-making. The limelight comes in front of drawers moved entirely in solid walnut. Spectacular interior castle...

English Chippendale mahogany slant front architects secretary / bookcase with a carved dentil molded edge cornice, upper flanking glass doors with...

18th-century Danish oak secretary with a newer professionally applied layered black exterior finish and a contrasting dusky blue interior with gray undertones. The surface is lightly...

Outstanding baroque cabinet with fall top secretaire, South Germany, 1750-1760. Beautiful walnut veneer with exquisite figural and landscape marque...

Elegant Louis XVI bureau in solid mahogany. In 3 parts. Top with tooth cut profiled top list. Pair of doors with fillings, sides with profiled quartz columns. Bottom part with slant-front desk behind which numerous small drawers with knobs in bone. Sides with fluted columns. All keyholes with brass...

This highly important secrétaire-cabinet was crafted for and specially ordered by King George I for the British Ambassador to Russia. From its craftsmanship and materials to its exceptional artistry, it is a work of royal and historic significance that exudes power in each and every detail. The broken pediment at its apex features the simplified royal coat of arms bearing the king’s crown, while the interior is adorned by portraits of the British Royal Family. Placed within the ambassador’s St. Petersburg home, this entirely unique piece of furniture would have been a potent reminder of England's grandeur and political importance. Relations between England and Russia during this period were at an all-time high. Peter the Great had traveled to England in 1698 as part of his widely known “Grand Embassy” tour, wherein he attempted to gain foreign support against the Ottoman Empire. He spent a period of nearly four months there, meeting with King William III and his court on numerous occasions. Noted academic Arthur MacGregor wrote concerning the impact of the trip, “For two decades following Peter's visit, British influence in Russia reached a peak. It manifested itself in social custom, in craft practice and in ships and naval organization... it reached a significant sector of the population before relations cooled once again and the two nations pulled back from this era of unprecedented cordiality.” First and foremost, however, it is a reminder of British might and influence. By the reign of King George I, England had come into its own as a world power. Unique in its design, this cabinet is a reflection of the country’s might. It is crafted from the highest-quality solid walnut and burr walnut adorned by gilded lock plates and engraved hinges. The presence of ormolu at its apex and lining the doors was a rarity for this period, and its addition makes manifest the importance of the design. The outer doors open to reveal multiple interiors, including fifteen separate drawers around a central cupboard; the cupboard doors each bear mezzotint portraits of George I and his father, Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover. An etching after the portrait of George I dating to circa 1716 is in London’s Royal Academy. A second, inner pair of doors are adorned by mezzotints of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later Queen Caroline and George II), which are both after portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller dated 1716 in the Royal Collection. A final portrait is revealed on the very interior of the cabinet, where a mezzotint of Frederick, Anne, Amelia and Caroline, children of the Prince of Wales, resides. An etching (circa 1715-1720) after this portrait can be found in the National Portrait Gallery (London). Apart from its abundance of royal portraiture, the cabinet features stunning painted decoration, including floral designs as well as clouds, birds and trees in a bucolic motif reminiscent of Eden. Its lower portion is a study in both form and function, featuring a fitted secrétaire-drawer above three additional drawers for storage. The cabinet appears in The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture by R. Edwards from 1964, a text that is regarded as the bible of British furniture design. Edwards describes it as a “writing cabinet...given by George I to the British Ambassador at the Russian court.” The cabinet was likely made for the 18th-century German diplomat and writer Friedrich Christian Weber, who represented English interests at the Russian court from 1714 until 1719. Although Weber’s tenure as ambassador was relatively short, while in St. Petersburg, he authored his account entitled Das veraenderte Russland (The Present State of Russia), which was published in three volumes in 1721, 1739 and 1740. It may, however, also have been made for George Douglas, 2nd Earl of Dumbarton, who served as ambassador alongside Weber in 1716. Diplomatic relations ceased between the two countries in 1721. In 1928, the cabinet appeared for sale at the International Exhibition of Antiques & Works of Art in Olympia. It had previously been in the collection of the Woltner family of Bordeaux, the celebrated vintners who owned the estate Château Laville Haut-Brion and produced wine of the same name. According to the family, Monsieur Woltner was given the cabinet as a gift from an aunt who lived in Russia for many years. After leaving the Woltner collection, the cabinet was acquired by William Berry...

This antique English oak secretary features a beautiful stepped interior and dates from the 18th century. It can be easily placed in almost any i...

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS and beautifully proportioned Mid-18th Century George II Miniature Campaign Bureau Chest on later Chest/Stand. Mid-18th century, made in Britain, circa 1760-1770. The bureau chest sits on a later stand/chest, that we estimate is late 19th century, circa 1860-1880. It is also British. We believe that the primary wood in this piece is either Elm or Sycamore with mahogany elements. Classic Campaign style miniature Bureau Chest, with its ORIGINAL George II brass hardware, including handles on the sides for easy carriage, which is what proves to us, that this chest was made for campaign purposes. The brasses are GORGEOUS and are classically George II in style, design and construction. The quality, thickness and patina to the brasses, is what ‘initially’ tells us, that this is a ‘period’ piece and not a reproduction. Likewise, the dovetailing detail to the drawers, tells us that this was a hand crafted piece and certainly NOT machine made. The secondary woods appear to be a combination of oak and pine, exactly as one would expect. The central keyhole escutcheons are FANTASTIC and are in the form of a pair of opposing ‘lyres’. We have never seen anything like them! Beautiful natural patina! The ‘brasses’ look like they have been polished a ‘little too often and vigorously’, over the piece’s 250+ years history … BUT … the bonus of this cleaning is the creation of a rather appealing, '2 Tone effect’, on the patina of the wood around the brasses. The Bureau has a flat gallery...

Mid-18th Century Irish Secretary Cabinet. Attributed to Christopher Hearn. Mahogany Kneehole Desk that pulls out to reveal a letter writing surface flanked by pen wells. Top with D...

AMAZING STATIONERY BIN WITH LIFTING English, 18th century. in lacquered wood. Gold decoration representing pagodas and river landscapes. Friezes with plant motifs. Lower body with ...

Secretaire with fluted pilasters and two-door bottom part and white marble shelf and fire-gilded fittings. Behind the writing flap with green leather there are more drawers and compa...

An Italian walnut and ash slant-front secretaire from the 18th century with three drawers and star shaped marquetry. This exquisite 18th-century Italian slant-front secretaire, craft...

C.F. Harsdorff, 1735–1799 A small, elegant Louis XVI secrétaire designed by the renowned Danish architect C.F. Harsdorff. Crafted in exceptional cabinetmaker quality from richly gra...

A rare 18th century French Louis XV period chateau bonheur du jour or secrétaire handcrafted of walnut by very talented artisans in Lyon for a wealthy chateau owner near Villeurbanne, circa 1750s. This impressive antique French secretary features a chapeau de gendarme crown above a pair of carved serpentine doors with brass mesh grilles and beautiful green and gold damask fabric backings that open to reveal a painted interior with two display shelves. Three carved drawers are below. The lower section features a flat serpentine shaped writing surface that lifts opens to reveal plenty of storage above a carved, scalloped apron with C-scrolls and a center carved shell motif. Raised on four elegant cabriole legs ending in scrolled French toes. This grand Lyonnaise French library desk...

Louis XVI period, c. 1780, oakwood body, veneered with rosewood and amaranth, and with various, with marquetry panels, ornamental motifs and lattice pattern with partly dyed precious...

A fine antique English George III inlaid Sheraton Mahogany Bureau Secretary Chest, dating to the 18th century, circa 1770. This very elegant secretary chest in the late 18th century Sheraton style features an inlaid slant-front desk, that drops down and is supported by a pair of sliding lopers. The interior is fitted with pigeon holes and drawers, and a central locking door with a corresponding oval satinwood and ebony inlay. The fall front having a green baize writing surface above three graduated drawers, each drawer runs smooth, having the original oval brass handles and with an inlaid shield shaped lock escutcheon, key is present. All the secondary woods: drawer linings and back panels are made from white pine, the desk is of hand-dovetailed construction. The secretary chest is raised on flared French bracket feet, and joined with a shaped skirt. The desk is made from the finest figured Cuban mahogany, and retains the original finish, it is in remarkable original condition. This very elegant antique secretary chest...

English Chippendale mahogany and satinwood fall front secretary / bookcase with a molded edge pendent cornice, flanking upper case hinged original glass doors revealing removable int...