What is a secretaire a abattant?

It's the tall upright Continental form. The whole front is a hinged fall that drops to make the writing surface, with drawers and pigeonholes behind it, and a cupboard or drawers below. Marble tops go with it more than with any other type, and marquetry, kingwood and ormolu mounts turn up on the same pieces. Abattant appears in 53 of 304 titles on Sellingantiques.

Which wood is commonest?

Mahogany, by a distance. It's named in 106 of 304 titles, roughly a third, and it dominates the English chest and bookcase forms. Walnut comes next at 40 titles, then rosewood at 22, with kingwood, pine and oak in the low teens. Beyond those, single appearances include amboyna, padauk, camphor wood, satin birch, sabicu and tulipwood.

How old are most secretaires for sale?

The dated field runs 1750 to 1930, with 121 listings carrying a clean year. Era labels are more common than precise dates. 19th Century is the largest single bucket at 63 listings, ahead of Georgian at 26, Victorian at 24 and 18th Century at 23. Decade-level dating is thin and spread evenly across the 1800s, 1860s, 1880s, 1900s and 1920s.

Are secretaires usually signed or stamped?

No. Gillows is the only name that clears several dealers, four of them, in a category 125 dealers have listed in. Unnamed pieces are the norm. Where names do appear on the Continental pieces they're isolated one-offs, and some come as attributions rather than marks.

What's the difference between a secretaire and an escritoire?

Nothing much. Escritoire is the English term, used interchangeably, and it appears in 20 titles. It shows up more in current stock than in the sold archive, so both words are worth reading as the same thing.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 29 secretaires come to market on Sellingantiques in a year, listed by 125 different dealers over time. That spread means it's a category most general furniture dealers touch occasionally rather than one anybody specialises in.

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Antique Secretaires

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A secretaire is case furniture with a writing desk built into it: a chest, cabinet or bookcase whose front drops open to a writing surface backed by small drawers and pigeonholes.