What wood are Edwardian bureaux usually made from?

Mahogany dominates. It's named in 181 titles, with "inlaid mahogany" alone appearing as a phrase in 53 of them. Oak is the clear second at 64 titles, often on the Arts & Crafts and hall bureau side. Satinwood and rosewood appear in smaller numbers and sit in the upper half of the range. Beyond those, kingwood, amboyna, elm and satin walnut show up in ones and twos.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 37 a year come to market on Sellingantiques. Ninety different dealers have listed one, so no single dealer defines the category. Stock spreads thin across a lot of hands.

Is a bureau bookcase different from a plain bureau?

A bureau bookcase carries a second stage above the fall, usually glazed with slender bars, sometimes panelled. About a quarter of the titles here name one. The plain fall-front bureau with no upper stage is the largest single group. Titles for those tend to name nothing but the wood and the form. Bookcase tops, including cylinder bookcases, concentrate above the middle of the range.

Why are some pieces dated outside the Edwardian period?

The dated field runs from 1800 to 1930, a 130-year spread for a category named after a nine-year reign. Twelve listings are filed simply as "19th Century" and five as "Georgian". Most pieces carry a period word rather than a year. "Edwardian" alone accounts for 178 listings, with 1900s and 1910s next. Dealers hedge the boundary themselves, with titles such as "Late C19th/early C20th" and "Early 20th Century".

What is a bonheur du jour?

A small lady's writing table with a raised superstructure of small drawers or shelves above the writing surface. Roughly a tenth of the category takes this form. Spellings vary in the listings: bonheur du jour, bon heur du jour, bureau de dame, and plain "ladies writing desk". They're a rising share of live stock.

Do unusual or novelty forms turn up?

They do, in small numbers. Two titles describe a "moving interior", a mechanical fitting that appears nowhere else in the archive, and one oak bureau has been catalogued as a metamorphic drinks cabinet in bureau form. Miniature and undersized pieces are a recurring curiosity, including a child's bureau desk and a miniature cylinder display desk. Irish and Dublin origins appear twice, against 11 titles naming London.

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Antique Edwardian Bureau

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An Edwardian bureau is a writing desk with a sloping fall that drops to form a writing surface over pigeonholes and small drawers, made for letters and household papers.