How many bombé bureaux come up for sale?

Only about six are listed on Sellingantiques in a year, so the form comes round slowly. Even so, 23 different dealers have handled one across the archive. Almost every dealer who carries the form has carried a single example rather than a run of them.

Why are so many of them Dutch?

Dutch is by far the commonest origin claimed, in 21 of the 46 listings, and "Dutch marquetry" appears as a phrase in nine titles. France is second at 16. Italy appears twice and Scotland once, which makes anything other than Dutch or French unusual in this category.

What does a French bombé bureau look like?

The French pieces read as smaller secretaire chests rather than sloping-front desks, faced in rosewood or kingwood marquetry and topped with marble. Several are dated 1880 to 1890. A cluster of four kingwood marble-top examples dated 1880 sit at an identical figure, and five French walnut parquetry bureaux repeat in the same way.

Are these all 18th-century pieces?

No. The dated field stretches from 1750 to 1920, a 170-year spread for one shape. "18th Century" is the largest single bracket at 16 listings, with "19th Century" used five times and "Georgian" four. Two listings are dated to the 1920s and one carries no date at all.

Which examples sit at the top of the range?

The top is occupied entirely by 18th-century Dutch marquetry burr walnut bureau bookcases, where the two-part form, the burr veneer and the inlay all come together. The bottom of the range is a small French bombé-fronted bonheur de jour, a ladies' writing desk.

Do any of these bureaux carry a maker's name?

No maker or workshop attaches to this category in the archive. A scan for maker names returned nothing. One title attributes a piece to a named retailer, and that is the extent of it. Origin, timber and date are what the listings give you instead.

What unusual forms turn up in this category?

A few appear only once across the whole archive: a bombé-fronted cylinder bureau, closed by a curved roll rather than a flat fall, and a secretaire a abattant. There is also one bureau in yew and elm rather than the walnut or rosewood that dominates.

Search 0

35,165 PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 174 ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAYNEW ARRIVALS

Sorted by

Per page

VISITOR LOGIN JOIN AS A SELLER DEALER LOGIN

Saved

GIFTS

Bombe Bureau

174 ITEMS ADDED TODAY

Visitor Login (saved items)

Sort Order

Items Per Page

Antique Bombe Bureau

24 items · page 2 of 2

← Page 2 of 2 →

A bombé bureau is a writing desk with a sloping or falling front, its carcase swelling outward in a serpentine curve at the front and sides, with drawers below the writing section.