Vintage and Antique Secretary Desks

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A "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface....
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A "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface. Taking its name from the French word "secrétaire," which, in the context of furniture, means "writing desk" in English, the first secretary desk, which was called a "secrétaire a abattant," or "drop-leaf desk," is thought to have been produced by Jean-François Oeben in the middle of the 18th century. Known for his marquetry and mechanical desks, Oeben was the royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XV of France. Also called a fall-front desk, a secrétaire a abattant differs from a slant-top desk in that its front is perfectly vertical when not in use, giving the piece of furniture the appearance of a rectangular cube when the writing surface is not in use. In addition to slant-top desks, other desk forms that are often confused with secretaries include roll-top desks, cylinder desks, clerk desks, lift-front desks, and drop-front desks, which are very similar to slant-front desks. None of these are really secretaries proper, but as the word has become shorthand for a desk whose writing surface is in some way hidden, many buyers and sellers alike tend not to be too troubled by the imprecision. One of the chief charms of all of these desks, true secretaries or not, is the warren of smaller drawers and open compartments that are revealed when the secretary's vertical surface is folded open and flat. Often these drawers are fitted with locks, as is the writing surface itself, making them very private spaces for a writer's use only. From the late 18th century through much of the 19th, many of the best antique English and French secretaries were built from exotic materials such as tulipwood, satinwood, kingwood, and rosewood. Some pieces were lacquered black to resemble a piece of Chinese furniture while others featured...
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