What defines a Victorian pedestal desk?

A Victorian pedestal desk features two vertical drawer units supporting a flat top with a central writing surface, offering extensive storage and symmetry popular in 19th-century British cabinetry.

What materials were commonly used in crafting 19th-century desks?

Cabinetmakers during the 19th century frequently used figured hardwoods such as burr walnut, mahogany, and rosewood, paired with gilded leather writing inserts and cast brass drawer handles.

How can one identify authentic Victorian burr walnut furniture?

Authentic pieces display distinct hand-cut dovetail joints, original brass lock mechanisms, rich natural figure patterns in the veneer, and age-consistent wear along drawer runners.

How can a traditional pedestal desk be incorporated into a modern interior?

Placing a traditional pedestal desk in a dedicated home office or library creates a grounded focal point, which pairs effectively with contemporary task lighting and neutral textiles.

What is the best way to care for a burr walnut desk with a leather top?

Dust the timber surfaces regularly with a dry cloth, apply high-grade beeswax periodically to nourish the veneer, and clean the leather inset using a specialist leather conditioner.

for sale €10,823 $11,748

£9,250

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Id #SA1244263

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Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Name: Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1244263
Price: 9250 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a fine antique Victorian figured burr walnut twin pedestal desk attributed to the world-renowned cabinetmaker and retailer Holland & Sons, Circa 1860 in date.

The rectangular top has a fabulous inset gold-tooled green leather writing surface above three drawers in the frieze, over a pair of pedestals, each with four graduated drawers, all fitted with their original ormolu ring handles. The desk stands on a plinth base raised on hidden brass castors.

The desk has its original locks and castors, all stamped "COPE & COLLINSON" and taselled keys.

Instil the elegance of a bygone era in a special place in your home with this fabulous and rare decorative antique burr walnut desk.

Provenance:

Removed from the solicitors' offices of Messrs Gillespie & Paterson, W.S., 31 Melville Street, Edinburgh

Sold at Bonhams London, Fine English Furniture (20743), 20th November 2013, lot 261 (£11,250 incl. BP)

Condition:

In excellent condition, having been beautifully cleaned, polished, and waxed, and the leather replaced in our workshops; please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 75 cm x Width 152 cm x Depth 79 cm

Height 61 cm x Width 58 cm - Knee hole

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 5 feet x Depth 2 foot, 7 inches

Height 2 foot x Width 1 foot, 11 inches - Knee hole

Holland & Sons

The firm of Holland & Sons (1803–1942) became from 1843 one of the largest and most successful cabinet makers, and a rival to Gillows of Lancaster and London.

The company's labelled Day books are now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum Archive of Art and Design, where they present a virtual 'who's who' of nineteenth-century society.

Established in 1803 by Stephen Taprell and William Holland, a relation of the architect Henry Holland. Always on the leading edge of fashion, Holland & Sons employed some of England's foremost designers and participated in all of the International Exhibitions of 1851, 1855, 1862, 1867, 1872 and 1878. Holland and Sons also participated in many of the leading international exhibitions, including London in 1862, Vienna in 1873, and Paris in 1867 and 1872.

After a brief period in which the company was known as Taprell, Holland & Son c.1835-43, William Holland gained sole command after the senior partner Taprell's retirement. From 1843 onwards, they were known as Holland and Sons. The relationship between builder and cabinet maker is similar to another leading Victorian firm, Trollope and Sons.

Cope & Collinson

were Victorian brass-founders, and their stamp is a useful clue when dating antique furniture.

Walnut & Burr Walnut

Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried, it can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced, and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, the more expensive and desirable.

Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However, the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.

Walnut "burrs" were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers, and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.

Our reference: A5408

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Victorian Burr Walnut Desk to the 1860s.

Independent Date Check ID 09709841

Dealer's Item Date1860s

Sellingantiques Date1860s

Sellingantiques agingItem 150-175 years old

Test ResultsPassed dating check

Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1860s:

Cope & Collinson stamped locks: Victorian brassware makers operating in Birmingham.

Solid oak drawer linings: top-tier English cabinet work from the mid-Victorian era.

Cope's patent stamped castors: original iron and brass fittings under the plinths.

Fielded burr walnut back panels: finished for standing in the centre of a room.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions

Height

75cm (29.53")

Width

152cm (59.84")

Depth

79cm (31.10")

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1244263

Dealers Internal Reference

A5408

Description

This is a fine antique Victorian figured burr walnut twin pedestal desk attributed to the world-renowned cabinetmaker and retailer Holland & Sons, Circa 1860 in date.

The rectangular top has a fabulous inset gold-tooled green leather writing surface above three drawers in the frieze, over a pair of pedestals, each with four graduated drawers, all fitted with their original ormolu ring handles. The desk stands on a plinth base raised on hidden brass castors.

fig 1. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 1. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

The desk has its original locks and castors, all stamped "COPE & COLLINSON" and taselled keys.

“

Instil the elegance of a bygone era in a special place in your home with this fabulous and rare decorative antique burr walnut desk.

Regent Antiques

fig 2. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 2. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Provenance:

Removed from the solicitors' offices of Messrs Gillespie & Paterson, W.S., 31 Melville Street, Edinburgh

Sold at Bonhams London, Fine English Furniture (20743), 20th November 2013, lot 261 (£11,250 incl. BP)

fig 3. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 3. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Condition:

In excellent condition, having been beautifully cleaned, polished, and waxed, and the leather replaced in our workshops; please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 75 cm x Width 152 cm x Depth 79 cm

fig 4. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 4. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Height 61 cm x Width 58 cm - Knee hole

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 5 feet x Depth 2 foot, 7 inches

Height 2 foot x Width 1 foot, 11 inches - Knee hole

Holland & Sons

The firm of Holland & Sons (1803–1942) became from 1843 one of the largest and most successful cabinet makers, and a rival to Gillows of Lancaster and London.

fig 5. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 5. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

The company's labelled Day books are now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum Archive of Art and Design, where they present a virtual 'who's who' of nineteenth-century society.

Established in 1803 by Stephen Taprell and William Holland, a relation of the architect Henry Holland. Always on the leading edge of fashion, Holland & Sons employed some of England's foremost designers and participated in all of the International Exhibitions of 1851, 1855, 1862, 1867, 1872 and 1878. Holland and Sons also participated in many of the leading international exhibitions, including London in 1862, Vienna in 1873, and Paris in 1867 and 1872.

fig 6. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 6. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

After a brief period in which the company was known as Taprell, Holland & Son c.1835-43, William Holland gained sole command after the senior partner Taprell's retirement. From 1843 onwards, they were known as Holland and Sons. The relationship between builder and cabinet maker is similar to another leading Victorian firm, Trollope and Sons.

fig 7. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 7. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Cope & Collinson

were Victorian brass-founders, and their stamp is a useful clue when dating antique furniture.

Walnut & Burr Walnut

Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried, it can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced, and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, the more expensive and desirable.

fig 8. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 8. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However, the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.

fig 9. A nineteenth-century Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk featuring an inset green leather top, nine drawers with round brass pulls, and mouldings on plinth bases. — fig 9. Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Twin Pedestal Desk Att Holland & Sons 19th C

Walnut "burrs" were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers, and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.

Our reference: A5408