Are these all actually bookcases?

No. The heading covers painted shelved and cabinet furniture generally, so kitchen dressers, cupboards, housekeeper's and larder cupboards, buffets, armoires and vitrines all appear. What they share is the painted surface rather than the function. Bookcases still dominate, with open shelved pine the single commonest form.

What does original paint mean in these titles?

It means the surface is the one first applied, rather than a later repaint. The phrase recurs through the upper end of the archive. Against it you'll see 'later painted' and 'later paint finish', and some pieces are offered as ready to wax or paint.

How old are painted bookcases usually?

The dated listings run from 1745 to 1930, and nothing falls outside that span. Only a portion carry a clean year. The largest single period entry is the unspecific '19th Century', with Victorian next, so a lot of the category is placed to a century or a reign rather than a decade.

Which are the most expensive kinds?

Satinwood breakfront display cabinets with astragal glazing and hand-painted neoclassical decoration form a tight pocket at the top, just 17 titles across the archive. Large library and breakfront bookcases, 18th-century and George III pieces, and pairs also sit high. Plain painted pine sits at the other end.

Do painted bookcases come in pairs?

Pairs appear in 24 titles, commoner than you might expect for furniture this size. Pairs of library bookcases and pier cabinets tend to sit near the ceiling of the range.

Where do these pieces come from?

English is the commonest description by some way, followed by French. Louis Philippe bookcases, buffets deux corps and armoire cabinets carry the French side. Other origins are thin on the ground. Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Austrian and Scottish or Irish attributions each appear only once or twice.