What is a davenport desk?

A small, compact desk with a sloping writing lid over a bank of drawers set to one side. It appears in 229 titles, making it the most named form under this heading. Most sit in the Victorian material, and the 1860s account for the largest run of nineteenth-century dates in the archive.

Which forms turn up most often?

Davenports and pedestal desks between them account for well over half the record. Writing tables and flat-top writing desks with no pedestals make up around a fifth. Kneehole desks run to roughly one in ten, counting both spellings. Partners desks, kidney and serpentine shapes and the 1920s and 1930s revival pieces fill out the rest.

Are eighteenth-century burr walnut desks common?

No. The eighteenth-century group is small, with '18th' appearing in only eleven titles, and two listings carry the earliest date in the record at 1700. These are the Queen Anne, George I and George II kneehole desks, and they occupy the top of the range.

What does piano top mean on a davenport?

It describes a curved lid that lifts like the fall on a piano. The term appears in 26 titles. Related wording includes pop up and rise and fall for a stationery compartment that springs from the top, and harlequin or Jack in a Box for a rising interior section.

Do these desks come with maker's names?

Rarely. Only one name recurs across dealers in this category, Maple & Co, and the archive carries no evidence about how such names appear on the furniture. Country of origin is barely recorded either. English appears on twelve titles, French on a small handful, Swedish on one.

How large are burr walnut desks?

Sizes are seldom stated. Only three or four titles in the whole record give a figure. The largest of those is a six-foot partners pedestal desk. A kidney-shaped example is given as 42 by 40 inches. Beyond form names like davenport, small size or twin pedestal, listings tend not to commit to measurements.

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Antique Burr Walnut Desk

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Writing furniture veneered in burr walnut, the swirling figure cut from a burr on the tree, made to give you a surface to write on with drawers for paper, ink and documents.