Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Louis XIII furniture is not as lavish as that of his son Louis XIV, who transformed his father’s modest Versailles hunting lodge into a sumptuous palace. Yet the imposing forms of its chairs, dressers, tables and other pieces express grandeur and luxury.
When Henry IV was assassinated in the streets of Paris in 1610, his young son became the king of France. With Louis XIII too young to rule, the widowed Marie de' Medici — a native of Italy and member of the prominent House of Medici — became regent, instilling an Italian influence in the decorative arts. Even after Louis XIII exiled his mother and took power in 1617, this aesthetic informed his court style. As did the consolidation of power, established with his chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, through his death in 1643.
From sturdy chests and tall cupboards to colossal four-poster beds, almost every piece of Louis XIII furniture was heavily carved or turned from dark-toned wood. Motifs of the period included scrollwork, foliage, fruits, grotesque masks and other images of abundance, often inlaid in marquetry of wood or tortoiseshell. Ornamental scenes, sometimes carved on cabinet panels and other pieces from rare ebony, oak or walnut, were borrowed from engravings by northern European masters like Peter Paul Rubens. Engravings also spread the Louis XIII style during the 17th century, particularly by printmaker Abraham Bosse, who depicted the popular Louis XIII chairs designed with upholstered seats and low, wide backs.
The lofty profiles of the French furniture complemented the architecture under the reign of Louis XIII, such as the Palais du Luxembourg by chief architect Salomon de Brosse and architect Jacques Lemercier’s chapel at the Sorbonne, which showcased the influence of Italian Baroque.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIII armchairs, storage cabinets, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
1890s French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
1920s French Vintage Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
1890s French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
17th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
17th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
17th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Chestnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
18th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron
2010s American Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Rosewood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Faux Leather, Glass, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1890s Chinese Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Elm
1890s French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Belgian Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
19th Century Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Paint
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Faux Leather, Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Leather
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak