Antique Yew Book Trough 19th Century

Name: Unusual Antique Yew Wood Book Trough
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1237818
Price: 425 GBP
Availability: InStock

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Secure Transit

Cataloguer’s Note

Sustainable Choice

Frequently Asked Questions

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing

ObjectDesk Accessories
Period19th century
StyleVictorian
MaterialYew Wood
ColourWarm Brown
MotifsTurned spindles, Gallery railing, Figured timber grain, Scroll supports
SizeH 17 cm (7 in) x W 37 cm (15 in) x D 24 cm (9 in)

This unusual nineteenth-century Victorian book trough serves as a distinctive desk accessory for a gentleman's library or office desk. Formed from warm brown yew wood, the piece displays a highly figured timber grain across its smooth rectangular base. A gallery railing constructed from finely turned spindles encloses the top on three sides, accompanied by elegant scroll supports framing the open front and curved corner terminals. Beneath the main compartment sits a mahogany-lined drawer fitted with small turned wooden pulls, while the underside features a baize lining. The structure measures 17 cm high, 37 cm wide, and 24 cm deep. Positioned on a home workstation or study table, it provides an orderly repository for reference volumes, notebooks, or daily correspondence within a traditional interior scheme.

FAQs

A book trough is an open desktop holder designed to keep daily reading material or reference volumes upright and organised on a writing surface or side table.

Cabinetmakers primarily used dense hardwoods such as yew, oak, mahogany, and walnut, employing turned spindles and mortise-and-tenon or dovetail joinery for durability.

Authentic period examples exhibit hand-turned elements, uneven surface wear consistent with age, natural timber patination, and traditional construction techniques rather than contemporary fasteners.

Place the trough on an office desk, console table, or library shelf, filing it with hardback books to add texture, height, and visual interest to the surface.

Dust the surface regularly using a dry microfibre cloth and apply a clear beeswax polish periodically to nourish the timber, keeping it away from direct heat sources to prevent splitting.

John Howkins Antiques

Unusual Antique Yew Wood Book Trough

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