Antique Tables: English and French Oak, Mahogany and Walnut Antique Sofa, Gateleg, Writing Tables and Desks

AN OAK “CREDENCE” OR FOLDING TABLE with semi-circular hinged top, the
moulded frieze with a drawer and broad canted corners, the frame raised on four baluster legs joined by a platform stretcher, and with a baluster-shaped gateleg back support, 2ft 7in. high by 3ft. wide (78cm. by 103cm.) circa 1640, reconstructed.

A CHARLES II OAK TABLE with a moulded plank top, the frieze with a drawer and raised on ball-turned legs and stretchers, 2ft. 6in.

A CHARLES II OAK SIDE TABLE with cleated two-plank top, the frieze with a two
panelied drawer veneered in fruitwood on turned baluster legs of exaggerated form joined
by moulded stretchers, 2ft. 4V2in. high by 2ft. wide (72cm. by 90cm.) circa 1675, feet
and cleats restored.

A CHARLES II OVAL OAK GATELEG TABLE,
by a moulded flat stretcher, the gates with simple waved upnghts.

A RARE WILLIAM AND MARY CEDARWOOD TRIANGULAR TABLE, the triangular top
with three flaps with spring supports and opening to form a hexagonal top, raised on three
turned legs joined by similar stretchers, 2ft. 3′/2in. high by 2ft. 21hin. open (69cm. by 67cm.)
circa 1690, tip of one flap missing.

A RARE WILLIAM AND MARY OAK DINING TABLE, four hinged curved fiaps supported on
baluster legs joined by a moulded oval stretcher and massive.

AN OCTAGONAL OAK “CRICKET” TABLE with plank top, the moulded frieze and three
turned legs joined by a triangular shelf and three stretchers, 2ft. 6in. wide (76cm.) late-17th
Century, restored.

A GOOD OAK REFECTORY TABLE
with massive four-plank top and simple shaped walnut end supports
joined by a long bar, 2ft. 5in. high by 8ft. long by 3ft. 3in. wide (74cm. by 273cm. by 99cm.) partly constructed from I8th Century wood.

AN EARLY 18TH CENTURY REFECTORY TABLE in walnut and oak, the four plank
top on piain trestle end supports with piain stretcher and feet, 5ft. Hin. long by 2ft. 8V2in.
deep (180cm. by 82cm.) circa 1720.

A FINE PAIR OF GEORGE I LABURNUMWOOD-VENEERED CONCERT-ACTION CARD
TABLES, each quarter-veneered top with a crossbanding and projecting rounded corners,
the baize-lined interior with counter wells and candie-stands, the conforming frieze raised
on turned legs headed by piain lappets and ending in pad feet, 2ft. Win. wide (86cm.) circa
1720.

A FINE PAIR OF QUEEN ANNE BURR-WALNUT SEMI-ELLIPTICAL GAMES TABLES each
in well figured wood, each top with a moulded edge, a chevron banding and a broad
crossbanding, one with a velvet-lined interior crossbanded in walnut, the other with a
walnut-veneered interior crossbanded in oak, each plain frieze with a small chevron-
banded drawer at each side below a slide and raised on four simple cabriole legs with pad
feet, 2ft. 4in. high by 2ft. 6вОО. wide (71cm. by 77cm.) circa 1710.

A FINE GEORGE III PENWORK-DECORATED PEMBROKE TABLE in the French style,
the serpentine top with a central chinoiserie design of figures with a parasol and a child
within a broad floral border and an outer white border, the frieze with a chinoiserie
design, ivory knobs and a drawer surrounded by fruiting vines, the slender cabriole legs
headed by carved husks and decorated with fruiting vines, with brass castors, 2ft. 6in. long
by 3ft. ‘Ain. open (76cm. by 92cm.) circa 1780.

A FINE GEORGE III OVAL MAHOGANY PEMBROKE TABLE
in the French style, the flame-figured moulded top with a
narrow crossbanding, the bowed frieze with a drawer and raised on slender moulded cabriole legs headed by a fluted trumpet hung with a husk and with circular flowerhead brackets.

A GEORGE III OVAL MAHOGANY AND MARQUETRY URN TABLE, the galleried top
with satinwood banding engraved and stained with entwined leaves enclosing flowerheads
and with a narrow tulipwood outer banding, the frieze with a small slide and raised on
Square tapering legs headed by trailing garrya husks and a circular patera, 2ft. VMn. high
by lft. 2′/2in. wide (65cm. by 37cm.) circa 1780.

A FINE GEORGE II OCTAGONAL MAHOGANY TRIPOD TABLE, the gallery pierced with
Chinese fretwork and each side joining at the corner in a scroll, supported on a leaf-carved
trumpet and three tall inscrolled Supports carved with leaves and ending in bold scrolls,
2ft. 6in. high by lft. 8V4in. wide (76cm. by 51.5cm.) circa 1750.

A LATE 18TH CENTURY CHINESE LACQUER KNEEHOLE DRESSING OR WRITING
TABLE of slightly inverted breakfront form, the moulded top inset with a panel of gilt-
tooled green leather and with a frieze drawer and six short drawers flanking a recess with
three drawers, on bracket feet, decorated throughout with buildings and trees in gilt on
black, 2ft. 73Ain. high by 3ft. 8′Mn. wide (80cm. by 113cm.) late 18th Century, decoration
renewed, later top.

A GEORGE III SMALL MAHOGANY PEMBROKE TABLE, the top with a narrow
crossbanding and rounded corners with a frieze drawer and square tapering legs with
castors, 2ft. 33Ain. open (70.5cm.) circa 1780.

A FINE GEORGE III SATINWOOD MARQUETRY D-SHAPED SIDE TABLE, the top with
a swirling scrollwork hung with chains of flowers and with a giant shell medallion within
a main harewood border of ribbon meandering round seed pods and with two narrow
tulipwood crossbandings, the frieze and four square tapering legs inlaid with chains of
leaves with narrow kingwood crossbanding, 2ft. 7′Ain. high by 4ft. 6lAin. wide (79cm. by
138cm.) circa 1775.

A GOOD GEORGE III MAHOGANY TWO-PEDESTAL DINING TABLE with two extra
leaves, each hinged end with rounded corners and raised on a plain pillar and four canted
reeded sabre legs with plain brass toes and castors, 4ft. wide by lOft. 8in. long fully extended
(122cm. by 325cm.) circa 1800.

A REGENCY JAPANNED PEDESTAL TABLE, the hinged rectangular top with broad
canted corners and a chinoiserie scene in gilt with a woman seated by a table and a
fisherman walking towards a boat, on ebonised obelisk support and concave triangular
base, 2ft. 5′Ain. high by lft. 6in. wide (74cm. by 46cm.) circa 1810.

A REGENCY MAHOGANY FOLDING COACHING TABLE with hinged top and waved X-shaped
supports joined by turned stretchers, 3ft. Van. open (92cm.) circa 1815.

A LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY KNEEHOLE WRITING TABLE
with a central frieze drawer above an arch flanked
to each skie by three drawers and a deep drawer resemble two drawers,
on a plain plinth base, ail the drawers painted (76cm. by 132.5cm.) 1810.

A PAIR OF OVAL TWO-TIER ETAGERE TABLES, each with a gilt-stamped black
leather-lined shelf on four pillars with pineapple finials and brass castors, 2ft. lin. high by
lft. 9lhin. long (63.5cm. by 54.5cm.).

A PAIR OF THREE-TIER ETAGERE TABLES of square shape, veneered in rosewood
and with gilt-brass column corners, with bail finials and castors, square (36cm )
19th Century.

A TWO-TIER ETAGERE TABLE,
each rectangular shelf veneered in rosewood with gilt-brass
border and gilt-brass circular legs and castors, lft. 8in. high by 2ft.

A LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY SMALL TABLE, the top with rounded corners
above two drawers, the lower one panelled to resemble two drawers, on slender ringed
legs with castors, lft. 6′Ain. wide (46.5cm.) circa 1805.

A NEST OF THREE REGENCY ROSEWOOD TABLES, each on a pair of twist-ringed
pillars with downcurved legs joined by a straight stretcher.

AN IVORY-INLAID KINGWOOD-VENEERED TABLE
CABINET, the hinged lid and sides veneered with a brick
design with ivory ‘mortar’, the architectural front with
an arrangement of six short drawers flanking a dummy
drawer and a cupboard enclosing three long drawers,
the whole of the front inlaid with a eut ivory scrollwork,
lft. 5V4In. high by wide (44cm. by 75cm.) mid-
17th Century, probably Spanish.

A DUTCH MARQUETRY CENTRE TABLE, the top
inlaid with an oval set with flower vases flanked by
birds, within burr-walnut and maple crossbanding within
floral spandrels and a floral border above a similarly
inlaid frieze drawer, on square tapering legs ending in
blocks and joined by a concave X-stretcher, on later bun
feet, 2ft. 4lhin. high by 3ft. 7′Mn. wide (73cm. by 110cm.)
late 17th/early 18th Century.

A GILTWOOD SERPENTINE FRONTED CONSOLE TABLE
with a pierced C-scroll and acanthus leaf-carved apron
centred by a shell, on elaborately carved cabriole legs
hung with floral garlands and joined by an asymmetrical
pierced C-scroll and S-scroll stretcher with a grey marble
top, 2ft. 8in. high by 3ft. 9lMn. wide (81cm. by 116cm.)
circa 1750, probably German.

A DUTCH WALNUT MARQUETRY TRIPOD TABLE, the circular
hinged top inlaid with a flower vase within a scrolling garland,
on a ring-turned baluster stem and downcurved cabriole legs, 2ft. 5lhin.
high by 2ft. 4V2in. diam. (75cm. by 72.5cm.) mid-18th Century.

A DUTCH MARQUETRY CARD TABLE, the triangular
baize-lined top and frieze with chevron bandings and
boxwood stringing, with a vase of flowers above a
bearded mask, on four tapering legs with inlaid bands of
lighter wood, 2ft. 4′/2in. high by 4ft. lin. wide (72cm. by
124.5cm.) circa 1790.

A BIEDERMEIER FRUITWOOD SMALL TABLE with a
drawer and square tapering legs, 2ft. high by lft. Hin.
wide (61cm. by 58cm.) circa 1830.

A BIEDERMEIER FRUITWOOD JARDINIERE TABLE
with panelled frieze and square tapering legs, 2ft. wide
(73cm.) circa 1830.

A LATE GEORGE II MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE, with
moulded top and frieze drawer, on square chamfered
legs, 2ft. 4′/2in. high by 3ft. wide (72cm. by 93cm.)
circa 1760.

AN EARLY GEORGE III MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE,
with brass gallery, plain frieze, with square chamfered
legs headed by pierced fluted brackets, 2ft. Hin. high by
6ft. wide (89cm. by 183cm.).

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY TOILET TABLE, with a
rising adjustable mirror and a divided hinged top
enclosing apertures for fitments with a cupboard and
square chamfered legs joined by a concave platform,
lft. 4in. wide (41cm.) circa 1770.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY EXTENDING DINING TABLE,
with a pair of leaves, each D-shaped end raised on four
square tapering legs, 4ft. wide by 8ft. 2in. fully extended
(122cm. by 249cm.) circa 1780, with restoration.

HOLE DESK OR DRESSING TABLE, of triple bow-front
form, the top with reeded edge, three frieze drawers and
each pedestal with a bowed door enclosing tray shelves
on a phnth base, 2ft. 4′Mn. high by 4ft. min. wide (72cm
by 138cm.) circa 1800.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SERPENTINE-TOP CARD TABLE,
on square tapering legs and block feet, 2ft.
high by 2ft. 7in. wide (74.5cm. by 79cm.) circa 1780.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE with semi-
circular top and panelled tapering legs, 2ft. 103Ain. high
by 4ft. 3in. wide (88cm. by 129cm.) circa 1785, the frieze
now containing a drawer.

A REGENCY MAHOGANY TRIPOD TABLE, the
rectangular hinged top on slender ring-turned baluster
stem and reeded downeurved legs ending in bun feet,
2ft. 3′hin. high by 2ft. lin. wide (70cm. by 63cm.)
circa 1805.

A LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY WRITING DESK
with a tambour front enclosing a fitted interior and
writing slide above a pair of frieze drawers on square,
tapering, fluted and stop-fluted legs, 3ft. 5in. high by 3ft.
‘hin. wide (104cm. by 93cm.) circa 1790.

A REGENCY BREAKFAST TABLE, the rectangular hinged top with
reeded edge on a ring-turned baluster stem and reeded sabre
legs ending in brass castors, 2ft. 4in. high by 4ft. wide (71cm. by 150cm.) circa 1820.

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY GAMES TABLES,
the rectangular tops with reeded borders and deep
chamfered corners, the friezes inlaid with stringing and
raised on turned tapering legs, 2ft. 5′hin. high by 2ft.
ll3Ain. (75cm. by 91cm.) circa 1800, one with Upper
section of top replaced.

A FINE GEORGE III MAHOGANY THREE-PEDESTAL
DINING TABLE, each pedestal with a vase-shaped stem
and downcurved legs ending in brass castors, 2ft. 4in.
high by 8ft. Hin. long by 4ft.deep (71cm. by 274cm.
by 136cm.) circa 1800.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY TWO PEDESTAL DINING
TABLE, with rounded square ends on nng-turned
baluster and reeded sabre legs, ending in brass.castors
2ft. 5in. high by 6f, Win. long by
209cm. by 122cm.) circa 1815.

A REGENCY MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE, the top
crossbanded in satinwood and inlaid with boxwood
stringing with two real opposing two dummy drawers,
and with D-shaped flaps, on trestle supports joined by
an arched stretcher, 2ft. 5in. high by 5ft. lin. wide (74cm.
by 155cm.) circa 1805.

A LATE GEORGE III ROSEWOOD SOFA TABLE, with
two frieze drawers in one side, on a ring-turned baluster
stem carved with lotus leaves and down-curved sabre
legs, ending in downcurved feet and castors, the whole
inlaid with brass stringing, 2ft. 4in. high by 5ft. ‘Mn. wide
(71cm. by 153cm.) circa 1815.

A REGENCY MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE, with
D-shaped flaps crossbanded in satinwood, the frieze
with one real and one dummy drawer on lyre-shaped
scrolling supports and sabre legs joined by an arched
stretcher, 2ft. 6in. high by 5ft. o’frin. wide (76cm. by
169cm.) circa 1815.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE, with
D-shaped flaps and one real and one dummy drawer in
the frieze on trestle supports, joined by a ring-turned
stretcher on moulded sabre legs ending in brass castors,
2ft. 4in. high by 5ft. VMn. wide (71cm. by 156cm.)
circa 1810.

A PAIR OF GEORGE IV MAHOGANY CARD TABLES,
with canted corners and swivelling tops, raised on four
turned pillars, a platform and canted sabre legs, inlaid
throughout with a pale wood stringing, 2ft. Hin. zoide
(89cm.).

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD CENTRE BREAKFAST
TABLE, the circular top with a beaded edge on a triangular
pillar and moulded beaded base and concave platform,
on moulded ball feet, 2ft. in. high by 4ft. 3′/2in.
diameter (72cm. by 130cm.) circa 1830.

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD-VENEERED WORK TABLE,
with rounded corners, frieze drawer above a U-shaped
back support with turned pillar and coneave rectangular
base with bun feet, 2ft. 4in. high by 2ft. Hin. open (71cm.
by 89cm.) circa 1835.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SEMI-CIRCULAR CARD TABLE
with a baize-lined interior, crossbanded in satinwood, on
square tapering legs ending in block feet, 2ft. 5in. high by 3ft.
wide (74cm. by 91.5cm.) circa 1790.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE with
crossbanded top and a hinged flap panelled to resemble
two long drawers, with a curved apron and square
tapering legs ending in spade feet, the whole inlaid with
ebony stringing, 2ft. high by 2ft. 4in. wide (80cm.
by 71cm.) circa 1790.

A GEORGE III PROVINCIAL MAHOGANY DRESSING
TABLE, the rectangular top with adjustable dressing
mirror on ratchet support, with two long and two short
drawers round a kneehole, on square tapering legs and
brass castors, 2ft. lO’hin. high by 2ft. 9′/2in. wide (87cm.
by 85cm.) circa 1800.

A REGENCY MAHOGANY CARD TABLE, the hinged
top crossbanded in rosewood, with a beaded frieze and
spirally ringed baluster stem on a concave platform
stretcher and hipped sabre legs ending in lion-paw
castors, 2ft. 5V2in. high by 3ft.wide (75cm. by 92cm.)
circa 1815.

A GEORGE IV CIRCULAR MAHOGANY TRIPOD TABLE
of George II style, with hinged top, baluster stem and
plain cabriole legs with pointed pad feet, 2ft. 4in. high by 2ft. 6in.
diameter (71cm. by 76cm.) circa 1820.

AN EBONISED PARCEL-GILT REGENCY CHEVERET
TABLE, the superstructure with a brass three-quarters
gallery above a pair of grille-filled doors flanked by lotus-
carved baluster columns, the frieze decorated with an
olive leaf motif centred by a rosette, on ringed tapering
legs joined by a platform stretcher, 3ft. 9in. high by 2ft.
wide (114cm. by 61cm.) circa 1815.

A LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY PEDESTAL PEMBROKE
TABLE, the rectangular top with rounded corners, with
a frieze drawer and central reeded column on four
moulded legs, 2ft. 4in. high by 2ft.wide
(71cm. by 90cm.) circa 1820.

A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY CARD TABLE,
with a hinged swivelling top enclosing a well, supported
on two ring-turned columns and a concave platform with hipped sabre
legs and brass castors, 2ft. 4V2in. high by 2ft. 11in. wide (72cm. by 90.5cm.) circa 1825.

A LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY BREAKFAST TABLE,
the circular top with turned column and four legs, 2ft. 5in.
high by 4ft. 3in. diameter (74cm. by 130cm.) circa 1815, originally
part of a pedestal dining table.

A WILLIAM IV GILTWOOD SIDE TABLE,
with verde antico marble top and a pair of massive
foliate scroll supports, resting on a rosewood-veneered base with
giltwood egg and dart moulding and a mirrored backboard, 3ft. 3in.
high by 4ft. 8in. wide (99cm. by 142cm.) circa 1830, distressed and gold painted.

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD TRESTLE TABLE, the
rectangular top with rounded corners and inlaid with a
satinwood band, with a drawer in the frieze and simple
trestle Supports, 2ft. high by 2ft. 4in. wide (70cm.
by 71cm.) circa 1830.

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD BREAKFAST TABLE, the
circular top with a gadrooned border, the hexagonal
stem with concave-sided triangular base on gadrooned
feet, 2ft. 5′/2in. high by 4ft. 6in. wide (75cm. by 137cm.)
circa 1835.

A WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY TEA OR GAMES TABLE,
the rectangular hinged top with a beaded edge, on
columnar lotus-leaf carved pedestal and concave
platform stretcher on reeded bun feet, 2ft. high by
3ft. wide (75cm. by 91.5cm.) circa 1830.

A WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY GAMES TABLE, the top
with a central sliding panel enclosing a backgammon well
and reversing to form a chessboard, with two drawers
flanking an arch with a dummy drawer, on piain trestle
supports, 2ft. high by 2ft. Hin. wide (77cm. by
89cm.) circa 1830.

A FLEMISH PARQUETRY SIDE TABLE,
the rectangular top with concentric oyster-veneered
circles in olivewood with hollywood stringing, a drawer
in the frieze and turned legs joined by wavy stretchers, 2ft. 6in. high by 3ft. wide (76cm. by 95cm.)
circa 1700, legs and stretchers replaced.

A GEORGE I WALNUT TABLE, with a moulded mottled pale
apricot-coloured top and rounded corners, the frieze with a
drawer at each end, the turned legs with lappets and pad feet, 2ft.
5in. high by 2ft. 8in. long (74cm. by 81cm.) circa 1725, marble modern.

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DESKS  roll-top
A rather fine oak roll-top desk in which something of Eastlake’s preaching on Gothic reformed furniture has taken effect. Note the panelled sides, the incised line decoration on the drawers and the carved trefoil motif on the slope frame. Undoubtedly intended for use by some professional of ‘reformed’ leanings. c. 1875
An oak roll-top pedestal desk with panelled sides shown open to reveal a generously complex fit-up of pigeon holes, small drawers and letter racks inside. There are four drawers in each pedestal and a pull-out shelf at either side. 1900-1920
An oak roll-top desk similar to the previous example but with a simpler inside fit-up, no foot rail and not panelled at the back. 1900-1920
An oak roll-top desk with a wooden top gallery intended as a bookshelf and fitted with metal drawer handles. The inside has a relatively simple fit-up of two drawers, pigeon holes and ink wells. There is a foot rail and the back is panelled. The piece is on castors. 1900-1920
A half-pedestal oak roll-top desk with metal drawer handles based on the previous model in design.
An oak roll-top desk with ring handles to the drawers. It has a solid frieze around the bottom but is mounted on castors. Quite a complex fit-up to the interior but not as desirable as the example shown in No. 334.
DESKS  Wootton Patent Office (Wells Fargo)
This form has become a category almost to itself, with a ready market in the USA, from which it originates. Usually made in American walnut with figured panels in more desirable versions, but also found in mahogany.
The genre originates from around 1870 and appears in a variety of designs of single- or double-opening typeswith more or less complicated interiors. Really complex large decorative versions are highly sought after and price is affected accordingly. Often referred to, loosely, as a `Wells Fargo’ desk by those fond of watching TV.
A good quality walnut Wootton Patent Office desk of the doubledoored type, shown closed. Note the fielded panels with ebonised moulding, the figured woods and the highly-carved top shelf. There are letter boxes
fitted in the doors so that correspondence can be delivered to the owner while he is away and the piece is locked up. c. 1870
Another Wootton desk, this time shown with the doors open to illustrate the quantity and variety of pigeon holes and drawers in the piece. The writing surface, which conceals more fitments, is shown in the `up’
position, i.e. closed. The top is not carved like the previous example and the wood is mahogany.
Another Wootton desk, this time of the single-opening door type, but with panels and drawers veneered with decorative burr walnut. Although the single-door is not always as convenient as the double-door and tends to off-balance the piece, this version has a complex and attractive interior.
A large double-door version with elaborate interior and carved top similar to 339, shown closed. A handsome piece. c. 1880

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DESKS  Victorian, Edwardian Pedestal
A handsome burr walnut pedestal desk with superstructure including a sloping writing surface, drawers and a turned baluster gallery. A type of desk once rather despised for its superstructure, which was often
removed to convert the piece into a flat-topped pedestal desk of more Georgian appearance. Now, however, the form is coming into its own as a genuine Victorian one with its own usefulness. 1855-1885
A mahogany cylinder bureau with a kneehole. The pedestals each have three drawers and under the sliding tambour there is a writing surface with six small drawers and letter compartments. It is a type illustrated in
several catalogues of the 1870s and 1880s, although the design goes back to earlier George III forms. This is a very plain version. 1870-1890
The Victorian era was a great boom time for the pedestal desk, which was clearly much more popular for a long time than the fall-front or cylinder bureau. Not only for domestic use but also for equipping the thousands of offices which developed throughout the industrial scene, this form was adaptable to several varieties and types of wood. On the whole, oak and mahogany prevailed due to their endurance. Walnut and other woods, apart from pine, tend to be more highly valued for this reason.
The desk was made and reproduced throughout the entire period covered by this book (and still is). Where possible, approximate dates have been shown but some types such as ‘Georgian partners’ or ‘Chippendale’ can be very difficult to date precisely.
A highly decorated Reformed Gothic desk in a style which brings Burges, Seddon, Talbert and Eastlake to mind. Burges and Seddon would go for such lavish decoration; all of them would use the diagonal planking and pillared columns with central collars. It is interesting to compare this version of Gothic with that of ‘Chippendale’ shown in no. 325 in this section. 1860-1870
The designer of this pedestal desk has imbibed more than a little of the spirit of Reformed Gothic  note the panelled sides and slightly ‘revealed’ construction, with shaped feet.
A mahogany pedestal desk of a type made fairly continuously throughout Victoria’s reign and onwards to the present day. There is a tooled leather top, three drawers in the frieze and three drawers in each pedestal.
The moulded edge is a fairly bold type and so is the thumb nail moulding around the base.
A plain mahogany pedestal partners’ desk of large dimensions  three feet by six feet  with drawers in each opposing side, the concept being that the two partners involved could work at the same desk, facing each
other.
1870-1890 but a type made on into the present day
A carved oak pedestal desk with characteristic lion-mask carved handles to the drawers. The late Victorians and Edwardians were fond of carved oak  a taste for the medieval transmitted to them by the work of the
Gothic reformers, who would have hated this piece. 1895-1915
A further version of a carved oak pedestal desk with lion-mask carved handles. The ‘Elizabethan’ effect has been taken a stage further by the inclusion of reeded bulbs on the legs. More carving has been packed on in
foliage form and the top edge is also carved with leaf forms.
A mahogany partners’ pedestal desk on carved serpentine bracket feet in ‘Chippendale’ style. The canted corners are carved with leaf and foliage decoration and the top edge is gadrooned. The top is inset with tooled leather. A straightforward high quality piece which states that it is reproduction from the carved decoration.
A mahogany cylinder bureau or pedestal desk on serpentine feet with a pierced brass gallery rail around the top. The piece is inlaid with marquetry of 18th century inspiration (Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton all
spring to mind) including the splendid central vase in an oval panel on the cylinder front and swags, husks, leaf and floral decoration elsewhere. It has been said of other ‘Edwardian Sheraton’ pieces that the craftsmen
of this period had a tendency to over-egg the pudding and this piece is inclined towards an example of this trait. There is just a bit too much decoration, a tendency to flashiness which distinguishes the piece from its
18th century original. A handsome piece, nevertheless, requiring some first class craftmanship to execute.
1890-1910
A mahogany pedestal desk in the early Georgian manner, with clustered columns on the pedestal corners and Gothic blind fret tracery around the frieze. There are three drawers in the frieze on the viewed side, with
three drawers in each pedestal below. The out-of-view side has three drawers in the frieze and cupboards below  an arrangement normally fitted to a ‘Partners’ desk but in fact allowing the desk to be viewed
favourably from both sides. The quality of workmanship and carving is high  note the carved moulded edge to the top and the plinth around the base. 1920-1940
A walnut ‘Queen Anne’ kneehole desk, made as an accurate reproduction of a period piece. The top is quarter veneered and the drawers have a diagonal banding and lip moulding round the edges. The pierced handles
are a little late in design for the period of the desk, but otherwise the proportions and restraint of the veneers are a good copy. 1920-1930
right) A somewhat 1930s interpretation in the use of matched figures walnut veneers on the drawer fronts but without excessive over-figure or burring (’Queen Anne’ versions of pedestal desks, with feather banding,
etc., etc., were not uncommon in the 1930s). The choice of ring handles, however, if original, is odd.
An inlaid mahogany kidney-shaped pedestal desk or writing table in the Sheraton manner, with boxwood inlaid stringing lines and set on square tapering legs ending in brass castors. The top is inset with tooled leather.
The kidney-shaped desk is a perennial favourite and can often be highly decorative, with burr veneers and marquetry adding enormously to value.
A rather spindly cabriole-legged writing table-cum-pedestal desk, half way between either definition, which shows how, in Edwardian times, there was a movement towards versions of the ‘Queen Anne’ style which
heralded the outburst of burrs and cabrioles of the 1920s. In this case the decoration of the drawers is late 18th/early 19th century Sheraton in origin, whereas the legs are somewhat apologetic cabrioles, i.e. a version of an early 18th century style. The piece is in mahogany, which is not a Queen Anne wood. 1900-1910
A high quality mahogany pedestal desk, on square tapering legs, with inlaid boxwood stringing lines. There is a brass gallery rail about four inches high at the back, which has a diamond-pattern fret. By using the
stringing lines to describe panels on the drawer fronts and facings of the frame, the makers have managed to convey the impression of a restrained, quality piece. c.1900
A mahogany half-pedestal desk of Sheraton style with drawers banded in satinwood. The top is inset with tooled leather.
Figured walnut and cabriole legs  a 1920s pedestal desk of considerable quality, showing the onset of the modified Queen Anne styles which became so popular. This is a slightly more modernised approach
than the slavish copies of the style that were prevalent. 1920-1930

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DESKS About 1620-1680
The Pilgrim period: Desks in the sense of specialized, substantial pieces of furniture are virtually unknown, but a portable writing-slope of the kind used since the Middle Ages is commonplace.
A shallow box about 24 inches wide, 20 inches deep and 12 inches high (60 cm by 51 cm by 30 cm), with sloping lid hinged at the top to a fixed ledge.
Oak, pine, walnut or any other available timber, about 1/2 inch/1.75 cm thick.
Early examples nailed, later ones jointed with coarse dovetails at the corners. Lid attached by wrought-iron strap hinges.
Scroll, arcaded or floral patterns carved or incised. Painted flowers and figures.
If not painted, oiled and waxed.
It is often difficult to distinguish rare American examples from relatively plentiful British ones. Too high a price should not be paid for what is claimed as Americana, without convincing proof. Not outrageously expensive unless elaborately decorated and/or with sound provenance.
DESKS About 1680-1760
As the American colonies become more prosperous, more people became literate and in need of better facilities for writing. Desks as pieces of standing furniture begin to appear in the late 17thC.
Simplified baroque giving way, after 1740, to restrained rococo. Types:
I The desk on a stand with ’slant’ (sloped) fall, hinged at its lower edge to provide a writing-surface on its interior surface, instead of the exterior as in the writing-slope. The stand was separate at first, attached from 1720, with turned legs 1680-1720, cabriole from 1720.
2 The fall-front secretary-desk (from 1700) with vertical fall and drawers below; an example made in 1707 by E. Evans is the earliest known signed piece of Philadelphia furniture.
3 The slant-front desk with drawer below that developed in the early 18thC.
4 The slant-front secretary-desk with bookcase above. Pennsylvania produced this type in William and Mary style, with double dome top, 1700-30.
Before 1750, secretary-desks had wooden panels or mirror glass in the doors. Some have been modified by replacing these with clear glass, thus reducing the interest and commercial value.
Portable wrting slope Queen Anne walnut slant-front desk on stand, about 1760.
Oak, maple, walnut, pine, cherry; after 1730, mahogany from San Domingo and Cuba; after 1750, from Honduras. Secondary woods used for drawer-linings and (after 1720) as foundation for veneers  pine for oak exteriors, oak for mahogany exteriors.
Mortise-and-tenon joints secured with hardwood pegs (see p. 236) on early work and on later country-made pieces. From the early 18thC, fine dovetails for drawers, most other joints (e.g. mortise-and-tenon) concealed in best quality work. Carcases on bracket feet or dwarf cabriole legs; after 1730, claw-and-ball.
Carving on mahogany items, for example, claw-and-ball feet, reached a high standard.
Early-18thC: Burr walnut, maple veneer; japanning on Boston secretary-cabinets.
Enormous range, and age not always the criterion. Starting relatively low for a plain pine slant-front, rising to dizzy heights for a fine mahogany secretary desk. A good 1750 example may be dearer than a poorly-proportioned one of 1720.
DESKS About 1760-1785
Chippendale period: American makers achieve distinctive character and quality. Some work signed or labelled.
Right, Chippendale-style mahogany desk and bookcase, about 1765-1780.
Many plain slant-front desks, but also block-front types with shell decoration, at their best in Newport, Rhode Island, where the interrelated Townsend and Goddard families dominated production. In Boston, Coggswell made secretary desks with bonnet tops and ‘kettle’ (bombs) bases.
Mahogany, maple. Oak and other secondary woods as drawer-linings. Mahogany was used for lining very small drawers only, until late 19thC.
Drawer-fronts shaped to follow ‘block’ outline; ogee curve to bracket feet.
Concave shell motifs carved out of solid convex shells carved separately and applied to surfaces. Exaggerated shells on New Hampshire versions.
Surfaces varnished, sanded and waxed.
Block front types very expensive. Slant fronts, plain design, much cheaper.
Top, pegged construction; above, fine dovetails in drawer construction.
DESKS About 1785-1810
Federal period: Independence having been gained, the return to normal life fostered a desire for new furniture.
Right, secretary bookcase in mahogany, rosewood and maple, about 1810.
In New England, regional types continued. In New York and Philadelphia, Hepplewhite, Shearer and Sheraton designs favoured straight lines, ovals, circles; splay feet and classical pediments.
Mahogany from Honduras, pale yellow satinwood from West Indies.
heur-du-jour (lady’s desk) on tapered legs, with flat writing surface and superstructure of small cupboards. Seymour of Boston made similar type with the superstructure enclosed by tambour front (flexible shutter constructed with narrow fillets of wood glued to a linen backing, running in grooves).
Husks, urns and swags in marquetry.
Drawer-front lowered to form writing-surface.
Right marquetry decoration, about 1790.
The Philadelphia secretary desk had a writing-section disguised as a drawer, with cupboards above and below. The ‘Salem secretary’  a speciality of Nehemiah Adams  has a bookcase above with clear glass doors divided by curved astragals, resting on a base with a pair of cupboards flanking a secretaire drawer over a kneehole. Baltimore produced a bon-
Figured mahogany and satinwood veneers. Polishing with shellac dissolved in spirit (French polish) after 1800.
Wide range and greater quantity offer better choice, but expect to pay for quality and elegance.

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Antique French DESKS About 1770-1800
Louis XVI secretaire-a-abattant in satinwood with marquetry decoration.
Neo-classical, first phase: ‘Louis XVI’ style already established in France by 1771, four years before death of Louis XV. Sinuous shapes replaced by rectilinear carcase for secretaire, straight tapered legs (square or round section) on bureau plat and cylinder-topped desk. Many pieces still highly decorative but trend towards plainer style was marked in the 1780s.
Dubois makes arguably the first bureau plat on tapered legs about 1768; Riesener noted for type of small writing-table with projecting central panel of frieze, also for a lady’s worktable with writing-slide on end supports. Many ebenistes work to instructions from a marchand-mercier (intermediary between maker and customer). After 1789 Revolution, an austere version of the style continues under the Directoire.
Germany adopts rectilinear carcase for bureau-cabinet on turned and tapered legs, but rococo shaping retained in pediment, e.g. one made in Berlin, 1775, by Fiedler for Frederick the Great. Cylinder-top bureau popular 1780-1820 in Mainz.
Vienna produces elegant version of bonheur-du-jour, showing French and English influences; these also evident in Italy where decorative elements of style are emphasized in tall bureau-cabinets, and Spain where neat knee-hole writing-tables have richly ornamented drawer-fronts.
Louis XVI bonheur dujour.
In 1771, Holland prohibits imports of furniture to protect Dutch craftsmen who produce fine fall-front secretaires and writing-tables in neo-classical style. In Sweden, Haupt makes magnificent examples of bureaux plat in Denmark, bureaux and bureau-cabinets with slope fronts are simple in outline but colourfully painted.
Catherine the Great imports numerous desks into Russia, some by Roentgen, which serve as models for simplified versions by craftsmen in St Petersburg and on country estates. In Poland, chunky slope-front bureaux with very wide crossbandings produced in Kolbuszowa (Little Poland).
Mainly as in the previous period but with the important addition of mahogany to the French repertoire.
Mainly as in previous period but with revived use of stretchers to strengthen slim-legged stands for heavy carcases, e.g. in Paris, Weisweiler makes secretaires raised on legs joined by interlaced stretchers.
Marquetry still highly popular (until fashion for plain mahogany desks takes off), but subjects are neo-classical – e.g. in Milan, Maggiolini uses marquetry panels depicting Greek gods and goddesses.
Parquetry – geometric arrangements of small pieces of contrasting veneer – also used in many countries, e.g. for falls of cylinder bureaux by Tenuta, Lisbon, one of few Portuguese cabinetmakers to sign work; signature found in secret drawers, embossed on leather panels.
Neo-classical motifs also used for carved decoration, e.g. urns, swags, Roman busts surmounting secretaires by Bonzanigo, Turin; also for ormolu mounts of very high quality in France and Germany.
Handles and mounts are first feature to be adapted to the change from rococo to neoclassical.
Many small French writing-tables painted with flowered trellis patterns using coloured varnishes (vernis Martin). Danish bureaux painted with formal patterns in bright colours on cool ground. Marquetry brought to very high finish by varnishing, sanding down and waxing; colours of various woods, now mellow, vivid when new and some made more so with stains. What English collectors now prize as ‘patina’ is result of fading, waxing and dirt; less appreciated on Continent where many pieces are re-finished to restore former glory.
Grand pieces understandably expensive but many lesser bureaux and writing-tables of this period can be bought reasonably, e.g. cylinder-top bureaux in plain mahogany of late-Louis XVI or Directoire vintage, or Dutch secretaires decorated with marquetry or lacquer panels.
Although the word ‘ormolu’ derives from French meaning “ground gold”, in France the mounts are described as les bronzes dots or simply les bronzes.
Interlaced stretchers.

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ANTIQUE OAK, WALNUT AND MAHOGANY SECRETAIRES
The term secretaire is a kind of catch-all word for antique writing furniture other than out-and-out bureaux, davenports, bonheurs-du-jour, pedestal desks and other specific items. It is used for fall-front walnut pieces, often described in their original papers as scrutoires (or escritoires) and for later pieces of a writing nature.
A walnut secretaire chest on chest with an unusual design of recessed sunburst in the bottom drawer, indicating quality. The quality of the interior of the secretaire drawer is quite exceptional, with concave curved drawers and pigeon-holes. Note that the drawers have a lip moulding and herring-bone inlaid lines inside the crossbanding. A fine piece with superb patination.
Wide range because colour and patination very important
A high quality mahogany chest with a broken pediment The corners of the upper chest have a blind fret. It is the right therefore desirable. 1740-1760
secretaire chest on with dentil frieze. are chamfered and height to sit at.
A rather uninspired oak secretaire chest on chest with slide and pillared corners to the upper chest. The top moulding is arcaded in the cavetto and has a dentil frieze above in the top moulding. The interior is a little crude and either the drawer runners are worn or the drawers don’t fit, but above all it is too high to sit at, which renders it unusable, hence undesirable. 1740-1760
A plain but well-bred mahogany secretaire chest on Hepplewhite splayed feet with shaped apron. A neat interior fit-up in satin-finish wood and original
handles to the drawers. It will end up married to a bookcase top, trying to look like an impoverished
cousin of 1780-1800
A mahogany secretaire chest on chest, with fine quality figuring, on serpentine bracket feet. The fittings of the secretaire drawer are also of high quality with ogee-curved pigeon-hole decoration. The top moulding is fluted and dentiled; the whole finish is high quality and the piece looks good. 1750-1770
A good quality mahogany secretaire chest of slightly later date with boxwood stringing and ivory inlaid keyholes. Note that instead of the top moulding of the previous example, there is a flush top raised above the secretaire drawer, with inlaid stringing lines in a pattern. The use of light coloured wood to imitate swags of drapery over the pigeon-holes is particularly imaginative  a good crisp piece, which will be hard to marry. If attempts are made, the satinwood stringing line design will be repeated on the frieze of the bookcase but the grain of the wood is likely to give the game away. 1790-1810

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Antique English Furniture - Mahogany and Walnut Bureau

An Edwardian inlaid bureau with cylinder front, c.1905. Eighteenth century and Regency styles became popular at the end of the nineteenth century and this is a good example of Edwardian ‘Sheraton’. The square tapering legs with their thin stringing line end in casters. The inlay of the rosewood drawers and front is however, more profuse, and incorporates Adam motifs, whereas the gallery shows Gothic arching. Beneath the cylinder front, itself a feature of the late eighteenth century, there is a slide which pulls out to provide additional writing space. Highly exportable.
Decorative woods and inlays
A antique country bureau in solid walnut of c.1730. The interior shows the earlier William and Mary influence in the stepped concave drawers and well. The shaped aprons over the pigeon holes are also typical. The exterior drawers and outside of the fall are cross-banded in walnut or fruitwood. The handles are riot original and the bracket feet have been repaired. The drawers are pine lined.
Quality of workmanship, i.e. approximation to contemporary town craftsmanship
Country walnut (solid) bureau of c.1730, again showing William and Mary period influence in the stepped interior, but which is simpler and less refined than the previous example. The stepped drawers for instance are not concave. There is a well and the exterior drawers are again cross-banded in walnut or fruitwood.
A walnut bureau of c.1725-30 furniture, showing the interior, where the stepped design of the William and Mary period has given way to the Georgian straight interior with its corresponding loss of charm. The centre door is flanked by pillars with secret drawers. The interior and exterior drawers are inlaid with boxwood and ebony stringing. The carcase fronts around the drawers are flat veneered and the drawer edges have a ‘lip’ ovolo moulding. There is no interior well; a shallow drawer under the fall occupies this space.
An interesting antique mahogany bureau on stand, c.1740. The style is one which can be traced back to the Queen Anne period, when veneered walnut bureaux of this type, on stands with cabriole legs, were made. The early ones incorporated the stylistic features of the period, with shell carving, quartered veneers and so on. The bureau above has cock-beaded drawers and swan-neck drop handles. The stand has rather provincial cabriole legs ending in pad or club feet and the flat facets at the knee have been left without brackets. A slight relic of former style is in the downward pointed centre apron, which would have been ogee curved or carved on earlier pieces.
The mahogany bureau, c.1740, of the preceding page, shown open. It can be seen that the interior also follows the style of an early period since it is stepped and the pigeon holes have arched shaping at the top, which incorporates the ogee curving of the Queen Anne period. There is no well and the drawer fronts are straight.
A typical mahogany bureau furniture of the rnid and later eighteenth century.The example illustrated here is perhaps a rather boldly wide one but as a type such bureaux, with cock-beaded drawers, were made in large numbers in a variety of sizes throughout the epoch. The mahogany varies in figure and decoration from piece to piece but they are extremely durable and many survive in almost original condition. At present, with walnut and oak making all the running, it could be that they are rather underpriced; the danger is that the larger ones tend to jet’ converted into bureau-bookcases by the addition of a suitable cabinet. Size is, of course, an all-important factor in such pieces.
The mid-eighteenth century antique bureau of the preceding example shown with the fall open. The interior still owes much to earlier styles, with the outer pairs of drawers set forward from the line of the centre; they are not stepped vertically however. The inlaid star decoration and chequered panel line in boxwood and ebony on the centre door also owe their origin to earlier influences but the almost dentilled effect of the frieze under the top edge is of later inspiration. Note that the pillars of earlier designs on either side of the door have been replaced by a fluted surface.
A mahogany bureau-bookcase of c.1750. The bureau section follows the characteristics of ordinary bureaux, with cock-beaded drawers, bracket feet and a straight interior under the fall, with no well. The bookcase section has mirrored doors and a dentil section incorporated in the top edge moulding. This is a simple and undecorated example of fairly broad dimensions.
A small George III period mahogany bureau on ogee bracket feet, c.1770 This is a veneered piece, evidently because the wood is so finely figured and would have been wasteful to use in the solid. There is a chequered stringing line around each cock-beaded drawer and the fall, which are cross-banded. The inside is fitted with pigeon holes and five drawers.
A bureau-bookcase of the Hepplewhite period c.1790, in which the change to the latticed glazed doors instead of mirrors,which took place after the mid-eighteenth century, is demonstrated. A broken arched pediment with pierced fret completes the design above a dentillated moulding. The bureau section reflects the change towards commodes in the chest of drawers field, in that panelled veneered doors enclose the drawers below the fall. The feet are still of bracket type but a shaped apron between them reflects the taste of the last part of the eighteenth century.
Value points: This is an extremely fine example as far as choice of veneers and craftsmanship are concerned, hence the high price scale.
An early nineteenth century mahogany bureau with symmetrical veneers in a vertical grained figure, c.1820. The interior is straight, with pigeon holes and drawers and the sides are of solid mahogany. In the later period the veneered pieces tended to be of better quality, usually lined in oak.
An early nineteenth century antique mahogany bureau on splayed feet with a shaped apron, c.1820. The fall is cross-banded and the drawers have a normal cock-bead. Due to the angle of the photograph the bureau appears to be perched rather high on its legs, but its proportion follows that of the chests of drawers of the same period.
A fine quality mahogany bureau-bookcase furniture, c.1750, with broken pediment above and candle slides beneath the bookcase doors. The bureau section is made of well chosen figured mahogany and the piece appears to feature the unusual characteristics of having the two small upper drawers on either side beneath the fall to act as bearers for the fall when open. The shaping of the mirrored doors to echo the cornice, with its dentil frieze beneath the top moulding, adds considerable quality to the design.

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Antique Oak Furniture Bureau and Bureau Bookcase

An antique oak bureau of c.1740, with an unusual drawer  there is a long drawer under the fall, thus ensuring that or be made, and subsequently the normal two short ones. The drawers have an ovolo lip moulding around the  surfaces of the piece are in fairly straight grained oak snaking medullary rays which tend to detract from the surface of the wood. The simple bottom of this piece of antique oak furniture edge moulding and bold are typical of country construction.
An oak bureau of c.1745 in a dark Spanish or Cuban variety of the wood for furniture which was the first type introduced. The later Honduras wood was lighter in weight and colour. The high bold bracket feet and simple proportions belie the much later ring handle replacements on the drawers. The original handles would have been much more in the style of the keyhole plates; in fact the escutcheons or back plates of the handles would have been almost exactly the same. Note the vertical grained veneering of the flat carcase fronts between the drawers and the plain vertically grained veneered sides.

An oak bureau of mid-eighteenth century furniture date with the fall decorated by an inlaid star pattern in boxwood and ebony. This example is unusual in that the front edges are inset with a fluted pillar. The drawers are cock-beaded and their handles are not original, being in a later style. The original handles would have been in a shape more in keeping with the keyhole plates.

Another oak bureau of c.1780, which provides an interesting comparison with the preceding example. The four long are well graduated and have cock-beaded edges. The fall, however, is not made of
one piece but is of a type often seen in mahogany with a large centre section bounded by twig edge pieces with  gran running at ninety degrees to the horizontal main section, and with mitre joints at the top corners*. The fall shows medullary rays in profusion. At the base the furniture bracket feet are flush with the faces of the main carcase and a reeled moulding has been applied round the bottom edge.

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DESKS: CYLINDER AND TAMBOUR
About 1780 onwards
Both terms are used to describe any desk with a superstructure enclosed by a half- or quarter-round sliding lid which disappears into the structure when lifted. A cylinder top has a continuous smooth surface; a tambour is slatted. This type of desk originated in France a little earlier.
Early examples (about 1780-1830) mostly with a base as a lady’s writing-table (see BONHEURS DU )OURS, P. 108), but often larger and sometimes with extra lower drawer on each side. Frequently an upper cabinet or
bookcase above. Super-structure fitted with small drawers, pigeonholes. Sometimes the inner writing-surface pulls forward as top lifts. If quarter-round (most common type) the flat shelf at the top bordered by a brass gallery.
Pedestal versions (mostly tambour) about 1870 onwards. Similar interior fittings; inset leather (later ‘imitation’) writing-surface. Flat
George III satinwood tambour desk with pedimented bookcase above.
top above bordered by low wooden gallery. Tambour sometimes serpentine instead of quarter-round.
At all times lid on both types lifted by two (occasionally one) knob(s) or handle(s) fitted at its base.
Mahogany, occasionally satinwood in 18th/ early 19thC. Commonly mahogany or oak in Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war periods. Mahogany or pine for carcases when veneered, with mahogany or oak for drawer linings. Matching timber usually used for interior fittings, but popularly ’satin walnut’ from about 1870.
Standard methods employed.
Tambour: Constructed of large number of horizontal laths or narrow mouldings, laid close together, their flat sides glued to a piece of stiff fabric.
Note: These are often damaged  especially if the fabric and glue have dried out  and are difficult and expensive to repair. Do inspect the tambour carefully and open and close it several times to make sure it functions well.
Cylinder: Always veneered; on base composed of many long and narrow, angled or grooved, pieces of timber, planed on the outer edge to provide a smooth surface.
Both types slide in grooves cut in sides of superstructure.
Some restrained inlay on early writing- table types; more pronounced inlay, occasionally painted decoration, on Edwardian Sheraton revival versions. Seldom any decoration  not even interesting figured woods  on
pedestal.
Handles: Standard for dates. Brass bail or ring on table type; wooden knobs, joined by various metal handles around 1870, in 19thC. Horizontal wooden pulls after 1900.
Stain followed by polish. French polish from about 1820.
Victorian and later oak more often stained a light honey colour rather than the usual dark, treacly, brown.
Early-19thC mahogany tambour desk.
VALUES
Very large numbers of these desks were mass-produced for office use beween the wars (though some would date them pre-1914). Characteristic features are horizontal wooden pull handles on lower drawers,
rectangular metal label frames (either with integral pull or separate small turned knob) on inner drawers, panelled back to recess and simple curved apron at front. Plywood drawer linings will be an instant giveaway.
Early writing-tables rare and correspondingly expensive: even Edwardian reproductions fetch four-figure sums. Victorian pedestals relatively less; only the meanest half-pedestal or coarsely-made inter-war pieces found for three-figure sums.
Late-19MC mahogany tambour pedestal desk, much more common in oak with wooden pull handles.

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DESKS: CARLTON HOUSE
About 1785-1915
An Edwardian reproduction of a satinwood Carlton House desk.
Associated by name with the Prince Regent’s London house, and mostly dating from the Regency period, these were first mentioned as such in the 1796 cost books of Gillows of Lancaster, Described in contemporary pattern books as a `lady’s writing-table’. Made throughout the 19thC; very fine ‘Sheraton’ reproductions made by the Edwardians. Still reproduced today.
Carlton House desks are distinguished from other writing-tables by their large size (width usually more than 5 feet/1.5 m) and their low superstructure extending around the curves of their D-shaped top.
Made in two parts, the lower with two or three shallow frieze drawers; sometimes with an additional shallow lower drawer on each side. Generally tapering legs with spade feet (correctly tapering on inner edge only),
extending up to form corners of framing and standing slightly proud of vertical rails. Alternatively, turned legs with occasional ring mouldings (from about 1800) set underneath rectangular top, often with rounded (but no D) corners. Slightly overhanging top with moulded edge; inset leather writing-surface
bordered by cross-banded veneer.
Early superstructures comprised a small central cupboard flanked by tiers of drawers, they in turn flanked by concave-fronted cupboards and concave-lidded compartments with single or dummy drawer below.
Continuous flat top generally bordered by brass occasionally wood  gallery. Later superstructures more varied, often lacking concave-sectioned parts.
Principally satinwood and mahogany, with inlay of box, holly, harewood, kingwood etc. Occasionally rosewood. Sometimes amboyna and other figured woods. Bird’s-eye maple used for some Victorian pieces.
Pine or mahogany for carcases (with oak or mahogany for drawer linings). Pine throughout used for late reproductions.
Standard methods employed. Glued mortiseand-tenon joints with fine, lapped dovetails on drawers (machine-cut in later 19thC). All outer surfaces (except turned legs) veneered.
Stain or varnish, followed by wax polish.
Chiefly figuring of veneer with inlaid stringing lines and neo-classical motifs such as shells, drapery, scrolls etc. Sometimes similar painted decoration (these often Edwardian reproductions).
Handles: Can be simple bails with circular backplates on lower drawers; small brass knobs above. Occasionally lion’s mask ring handles below. Often small ring handles matching on all drawers  with plain or decorative (but basically circular) backplates.
VALUES
Original, early and finely veneered and inlaid examples are immensely valuable. Even good Edwardian reproductions may reach five figures. The least desirable are mid- to late-Victorian rectangular versions
particularly those with a raised centre to the superstructure  but even so, prices can still rise to four figures.

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