What is the difference between a library and desk chair?

In these listings, very little. Desk chair appears in 221 titles and office chair in 54, and dealers use both labels for the same open-arm and upholstered forms. Titles like "19th century mahogany desk or library chair" show the overlap plainly. Read the description and the photographs for the form rather than relying on the label.

Which wood is most common?

Mahogany, by a wide margin. It is named in 586 of 1,648 titles, with oak at 189, walnut at 134 and rosewood at 59. Other timbers surface only once or twice across the samples, among them ebony, yew, elm, ash, birds-eye maple, teak and pollard oak.

How old are most of these chairs?

The dated field runs from 1750 to 1930, but only 582 listings carry a clean year. The rest sit under style labels: 19th Century for 489, Victorian for 184, Regency for 158, Georgian for 61. Where decades are given they cluster mid to late 19th century, with the 1880s and 1850s strongest. There is a real early-20th-century tail as well, taking in Edwardian examples and 1930s oak and leather armchairs.

Do library chairs come in pairs?

Often. Pair appears in 336 titles, one in five, and sets of four, six, eight and ten have all passed through. Those matched groups, particularly with Regency or Georgian dates, hold the top of the range.

What is a metamorphic library chair?

A chair built to convert into a set of library steps, so one piece of furniture serves as seat and ladder. Sixty-nine titles use the term. Several are catalogued simply as library steps and side chair. They form a small but steady seam within the category, and they sit well up the range.

Are named makers common in this category?

No. Gillows is the only name to clear three dealers, appearing from ten dealers across twelve mentions. Even then it often reads as "attributed to" or "in the manner of" rather than a stamped or labelled piece. The great majority of library chairs are sold on form, timber and date alone.

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Antique Library Chairs

746 items · page 2 of 47

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A library chair is an open-arm or deep upholstered armchair made for reading and desk work, the sort of seat a 19th-century library or study needed.

19th century

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Exceptional 19th Century Gothic Revival Oak Library Armchair of Generous Proportions

From LVS Decorative Arts

£10,500

6 DAYS AGO

chairs

1900 - 1920

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Superb Chippendale Style Arm Chair

From Philip Hunt Antiques

£1,250

FOR SALE

chairs

1900 - 1920

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Georgian Style Leather Winged Armchair

From John Howkins Antiques

£925

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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A Sheraton Revival Desk Chair

From Chequers Antiques

£875

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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Pair of Mahogany Framed Upholstered Button Upholstered Library Armchairs.

From Rupert Hitchcox Antiques

£395

FOR SALE

chairs

An Unusual Regency Mahogany Bergere Chair

19th century

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An Unusual Regency Mahogany Bergere Chair

From W.J. Gravener Antiques Ltd.

£3,750

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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Pair of Fine Quality Late 19th Century Mahogany Open Armchairs in the Chippendale Style

From LVS Decorative Arts

£1,850

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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Antique 19th Century Victorian Walnut Revolving Office Chair Desk Chair

From Spinka & Co

£825

FOR SALE

chairs

A Fine William IV Carved Oak Armchair, Circa 1835

19th century

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A Fine William IV Carved Oak Armchair, Circa 1835

From Marlborough Antiques & Interiors

£1,395

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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Handsome 19th Century Mahogany Library Armchair Upholstered in Leather.

From Charnwood Antiques

£895

FOR SALE

chairs

The most expensive library chairs ever sold on Sellingantiques were a pair of Regency Gillows of Lancaster mahogany library armchairs, in January 2024.

18th century

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Matched Pair of Scottish Armchairs

From Walton House Antiques

£2,650

FOR SALE

chairs

Irish Queen Anne Walnut Corner Chair Circa 1710

18th century

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Irish Queen Anne Walnut Corner Chair Circa 1710

From Fairford Barn Antiques

£1,495

FOR SALE

chairs

19th century

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Outstanding Quality Pair of Antique Victorian Carved Walnut Desk Chairs

From London City Antiques

£1,850

FOR SALE

chairs

Large Edwardian Howard & Sons Library Chair

1900 - 1920

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Large Edwardian Howard & Sons Library Chair

From William James Antiques

£3,950

FOR SALE

chairs

Unusual Antique Quality William IV Leather and Mahogany Library Chair

19th century

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Unusual Antique Quality William IV Leather and Mahogany Library Chair

From London City Antiques

£1,885

FOR SALE

chairs

18th century

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Antique Georgian Yew Wood Armchair

From W H Barker Antiques

£195

FOR SALE

chairs

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Antique Library Chairs

Exceptional 19th Century Gothic Revival Oak Library Armchair of Generous Proportions

Superb Chippendale Style Arm Chair

Georgian Style Leather Winged Armchair

A Sheraton Revival Desk Chair

Pair of Mahogany Framed Upholstered Button Upholstered Library Armchairs.

An Unusual Regency Mahogany Bergere Chair

Pair of Fine Quality Late 19th Century Mahogany Open Armchairs in the Chippendale Style

Antique 19th Century Victorian Walnut Revolving Office Chair Desk Chair

A Fine William IV Carved Oak Armchair, Circa 1835

Handsome 19th Century Mahogany Library Armchair Upholstered in Leather.

Matched Pair of Scottish Armchairs

Irish Queen Anne Walnut Corner Chair Circa 1710

Outstanding Quality Pair of Antique Victorian Carved Walnut Desk Chairs

Large Edwardian Howard & Sons Library Chair

Unusual Antique Quality William IV Leather and Mahogany Library Chair

Antique Georgian Yew Wood Armchair

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