What is a bonheur du jour?

A small ladies' writing table with a raised superstructure of shelves or little drawers standing above the top. Some carry a mirrored back or a gallery. It is the single largest group in this category, roughly a third of everything listed. Kingwood and walnut are the veneers that recur most on them.

Why do the same desks have four different names?

Bonheur du jour, bureau de dame, secretaire and escritoire describe overlapping objects, and titles regularly use two of them at once. Bureau de dame and bonheur du jour are used more or less interchangeably. Secretaire and escritoire both point at the upright fall-front form. Nine listings write it with the accent as secrétaire.

Are these desks all made in France?

Not all of them. Several titles say 'in the French style', and some are described as Continental or English. The category covers French and French-taste writing furniture together, which is why the style labels matter more than the country in a title.

Does a Louis XV label mean an eighteenth-century date?

Usually not. Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire, Napoleon III and Louis Philippe are frequently written as 'style' or 'revival' in these titles, describing taste rather than period. Only thirteen listings on Sellingantiques are dated to the eighteenth century. Eighty-seven are given simply as 19th Century, and thirty as Victorian.

Which woods turn up most often?

Kingwood leads by a wide margin, with walnut close behind, then rosewood and mahogany. Marquetry and inlay are named on a good number of them. Amboyna, tulipwood, satinwood, cherrywood, mulberry, fruitwood, cedar and Gonçalo Alves each appear only a handful of times.

How often do porcelain-plaque examples appear?

Rarely. Eleven titles mention porcelain and eight mention plaques across the whole sample, and they cluster at the top of the range. They tend to be paired with kingwood and gilt-metal mounts. Painted and varnished panels sit in the same upper band.

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Antique French Bureau

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French writing furniture built around a fall-front, cylinder or raised writing compartment, made to hold letters, papers and small valuables in a private room rather than a study.