What timber are carved desks usually made from?

Oak, walnut and mahogany carry the category between them, and one of the three is named in the title of most listings. Oak leads across the sold archive on Sellingantiques. Burr walnut is the figured surface named most often. Satinwood, padauk and pollard oak appear in smaller numbers, and pitch pine turns up at the plainer end.

How old are most carved desks?

Dealer-entered dates run from 1750 to 1930. Victorian is the single largest label, with a further block given only as 19th century. Much of the rest is placed to a decade, the 1880s, 1900s and 1890s being the fullest. Edwardian pieces appear in modest numbers, and a handful of Georgian and pre-1700 entries sit at the far edge.

Do carved desks always have a leather top?

No. Leather is named in only a small fraction of titles, so the writing surface is more often left unstated than described. Where it is mentioned, it is an inset panel and occasionally tooled.

What is a Green Man desk?

A desk carved with the Green Man, a foliate mask used as decoration. It is the one carved subject that recurs across this category, named in a couple of dozen titles. These are almost always oak, and they appear far more often in the sold archive than among desks currently listed. The evidence names the motif and nothing about who cut it.

Which carved desks are the largest?

The double-sided ones. Partners desks and twin-pedestal forms are consistently the biggest pieces in the category, along with serpentine and kidney-shaped tops. Small single-pedestal desks and three-drawer oak desks sit at the other end. Titles rarely carry measurements, so size is usually read from the form named.

Are unusual or imported carved desks found in this category?

Yes, in a modest minority. Anglo-Indian, Chinese and Japanese carved desks turn up, along with French and Gothic revival work and Chippendale-style pieces. One-offs include a Japanese yosegi cylinder desk, a faux-bamboo partners desk, a folding Chinese hardwood desk and a bible box reading slope on a stand. Two samples pair a Japanese carved hardwood desk with its original chair.

Home > Desks > Carved Desk > Page 18

Antique Carved Desks

332 items · page 18 of 21

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Writing furniture of the 19th and early 20th centuries with carving worked into the carcase: pedestal and kneehole desks, davenports and flat writing tables, made to be looked at as well as written on.

1900 - 1920

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Superb Edwardian Marquetry Desk

From Wayne Long Antiques and Interiors

£1,950

FOR SALE

desks

Mahogany Davenport Desk in the Manner of Howard & Sons C 1820

19th century

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Mahogany Davenport Desk in the Manner of Howard & Sons C 1820

From Helios and Co Antiques

£1,195

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

19th century

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Victorian Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

From Sinclairs Antiques and Interiors

£1,850

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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A Rare Serpentine Knee-hole Desk

From W.J. Gravener Antiques Ltd.

£4,650

FOR SALE

desks

19th century

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Victorian Mahogany 9 Drawer Desk

From Philip Hunt Antiques

£995

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Satin Birch Pedestal Writing Desk

19th century

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Victorian Satin Birch Pedestal Writing Desk

From Harrison Antique Furniture

£1,250

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Rosewood Pop Up Davenport Writing Desk

19th century

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Victorian Rosewood Pop Up Davenport Writing Desk

From John Howkins Antiques

£1,350

FOR SALE

desks

Fine Quality Victorian Mahogany Pedestal Desk.

19th century

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Fine Quality Victorian Mahogany Pedestal Desk.

From The Dorking Desk Shop

£1,750

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Davenport Desk Burr Walnut 1860

19th century

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Victorian Davenport Desk Burr Walnut 1860

From Canonbury Antiques

£1,400

FOR SALE

desks

1900 - 1920

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Large Oak Kneehole Writing Desk

From Harrison Antique Furniture

£1,800

FOR SALE

desks

The most expensive carved desk ever sold on Sellingantiques was a mid 19th century Anglo-Indian padouk and satinwood davenport of large scale, in October 2022.

19th century

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19th Century Oak Pedestal Desk by Edwards & Roberts

From John Hubbard Antiques

£2,675

FOR SALE

desks

A Quality Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport.

19th century

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A Quality Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport.

From Antiquus

£525

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Burr Walnut Ladies Writing Desk

19th century

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Victorian Burr Walnut Ladies Writing Desk

From Harrison Antique Furniture

£790

FOR SALE

desks

Fine Quality Burr Walnut Davenport C1860

19th century

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Fine Quality Burr Walnut Davenport C1860

From Shaun King Antiques

£1,280

FOR SALE

desks

1920 - 1940

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Mahogany Partners Desk

From Ballinderry Antiques

£3,800

FOR SALE

desks

1900 - 1920

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Walnut Chippendale Style Writing Table

From Philip Hunt Antiques

£1,595

FOR SALE

desks

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Antique Carved Desks

Superb Edwardian Marquetry Desk

Mahogany Davenport Desk in the Manner of Howard & Sons C 1820

Victorian Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

A Rare Serpentine Knee-hole Desk

Victorian Mahogany 9 Drawer Desk

Victorian Satin Birch Pedestal Writing Desk

Victorian Rosewood Pop Up Davenport Writing Desk

Fine Quality Victorian Mahogany Pedestal Desk.

Victorian Davenport Desk Burr Walnut 1860

Large Oak Kneehole Writing Desk

19th Century Oak Pedestal Desk by Edwards & Roberts

A Quality Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport.

Victorian Burr Walnut Ladies Writing Desk

Fine Quality Burr Walnut Davenport C1860

Mahogany Partners Desk

Walnut Chippendale Style Writing Table

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