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

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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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19th Century Howard Style Open Armchair

From Desired Effect Antiques Ltd

£995

FOR SALE

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Rare Mahogany and Red Leather Gentleman's Gaming Chair

19th century

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Rare Mahogany and Red Leather Gentleman's Gaming Chair

From David Griffith Antiques

£1,450

FOR SALE

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19th century

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Regency Pair of Oak and Leather Library Chairs

From Gary Wright Antiques Ltd

£11,500

FOR SALE

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Fully Restored Antique George III Circa 1780 Brown Leather Chesterfield Armchair

18th century

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Fully Restored Antique George III Circa 1780 Brown Leather Chesterfield Armchair

From Royal House Antiques

£12,500

FOR SALE

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Antique George III Period Mahogany Gainsborough Library Armchair

18th century

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Antique George III Period Mahogany Gainsborough Library Armchair

From Patrick Sandberg Antiques

£5,800

FOR SALE

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19th century

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A Superb Carved Library Arm Chair

From W.J. Gravener Antiques Ltd.

£5,500

FOR SALE

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Early 20th Century Chippendale Style Armchair

1900 - 1920

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Early 20th Century Chippendale Style Armchair

From Martlesham Antiques

£1,250

FOR SALE

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19th century

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Antique Smokers Bow Chair

From Penderyn Antiques

£395

FOR SALE

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19th century

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Antique Oak and Leather Desk Chair

From Arthur Rawes Antiques

£795

FOR SALE

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19th century

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Victorian Armchair

From witchantiques.com

£320

FOR SALE

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

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Antique Library Chairs

19th Century Howard Style Open Armchair

Rare Mahogany and Red Leather Gentleman's Gaming Chair

Regency Pair of Oak and Leather Library Chairs

Fully Restored Antique George III Circa 1780 Brown Leather Chesterfield Armchair

Antique George III Period Mahogany Gainsborough Library Armchair

A Superb Carved Library Arm Chair

Early 20th Century Chippendale Style Armchair

Antique Smokers Bow Chair

Antique Oak and Leather Desk Chair

Victorian Armchair

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