What is a davenport desk?

A small desk with a sloping or lifting writing top set over a chest of drawers in the side. It became a standard drawing-room piece in the 19th century. Davenports make up 379 of the listings on Sellingantiques, and about a third of current stock. The plain sloping-top version is the common one.

Why is burr walnut mentioned so often?

Burr walnut is veneer cut from a knotty growth on the tree, and it gives the dense swirling figure Victorian cabinetmakers wanted for desk tops and drawer fronts. It is named in 646 titles, almost exactly as often as the word Victorian. Figured walnut, meaning pronounced grain short of burr, appears in another 74.

How old are most walnut desks for sale?

The dated field runs from 1690 to 1940. Victorian is the largest single label, and the decade counts peak in the 1860s, 1880s and 1870s. There is a second peak in the 1900s, 1920s and 1930s, covering the Queen Anne and Georgian revival desks and the Art Deco ones. Eighteenth-century pieces exist in the archive but are few.

Which walnut desks sit at the top of the range?

Two things, mainly. Early Georgian kneehole desks, including George I and George II examples, and desks carrying a Gillows attribution. Shape also lifts a desk. Kidney-shaped and serpentine tops are uncommon in the counts but appear among the highest-priced writing desks.

What is a piano-top davenport?

A davenport with a hinged lifting top rather than a fixed slope. Piano appears in 32 titles and piano top in 26. Related variants include pop-up davenports, where a superstructure rises, named in 49 titles, plus harlequin and metamorphic examples.

Are Art Deco walnut desks part of this category?

Yes. Art Deco appears in 85 titles, and sits within the broader 1920s and 1930s group. Those two decades account for 171 and 115 listings respectively, so interwar walnut is a sizeable strand alongside the Victorian core.

Home > Desks > Walnut Desks > Page 14

Antique Walnut Desks

258 items · page 14 of 17

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Writing furniture in walnut, from small drawing-room davenports and ladies' desks to full pedestal desks with a leather-inset top over banks of drawers.

An Exceptional Orignal Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

19th century

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An Exceptional Orignal Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

From Pendle Antiques

£2,450

FOR SALE

desks

19th century

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Walnut Pedestal Desk

From Chapel Antiques

£1,550

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Inlaid Burr Walnut 4 Drawer Davenport Writing Desk.

19th century

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Victorian Inlaid Burr Walnut 4 Drawer Davenport Writing Desk.

From Rupert Hitchcox Antiques

£285

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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George 1st Walnut Kneehole Desk

From Park Lodge Antiques

£10,000

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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Kneehole Desk in Walnut and Burr Oak

From Rumble Antiques

£3,600

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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Exceptional Georgian 18th Century Walnut Kneehole Desk

From S and S Timms Antiques Ltd

£7,800

FOR SALE

desks

Fine Quality Mid C19th Ormolu-mounted Burr and Figured Walnut Kidney-shaped Writing Table or ‘Bureau-plat’

19th century

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Fine Quality Mid C19th Ormolu-mounted Burr and Figured Walnut Kidney-shaped Writing Table or ‘Bureau-plat’

From M Lees and Sons

£1,650

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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An Early 18th Century Walnut Secretaire Kneehole Desk

From Hansord Antiques

£4,400

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Early Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Desk

19th century

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Antique Early Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Desk

From Georgian Antiques

£2,750

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

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18th Century Queen Anne and Later Walnut Kneehole Desk

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£2,750

FOR SALE

desks

The highest price of the last year on Sellingantiques went to a French walnut writing desk bureau of 1860, inlaid with mother of pearl, in August 2026.

1900 - 1920

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Queen Anne Style Keehole Desk

From FB Antiques

£950

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Walnut Campaign Travelling Desk

19th century

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Victorian Walnut Campaign Travelling Desk

From FB Antiques

£1,250

FOR SALE

desks

Fine Victorian Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

19th century

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Fine Victorian Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

From FB Antiques

£7,500

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Writing Table - C1870

19th century

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Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Writing Table - C1870

From Prior and Willis

£1,396

FOR SALE

desks

Lovely George III Circa 1780 Double Sided Walnut Partner Desk Original Handles

18th century

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Lovely George III Circa 1780 Double Sided Walnut Partner Desk Original Handles

From Royal House Antiques

£5,000

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Walnut Queen Anne Style Writing Knee Hole Desk

1920 - 1940

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Antique Walnut Queen Anne Style Writing Knee Hole Desk

From The Antique Shop

£835

FOR SALE

desks

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Antique Walnut Desks

An Exceptional Orignal Burr Walnut Piano Top Davenport

Walnut Pedestal Desk

Victorian Inlaid Burr Walnut 4 Drawer Davenport Writing Desk.

George 1st Walnut Kneehole Desk

Kneehole Desk in Walnut and Burr Oak

Exceptional Georgian 18th Century Walnut Kneehole Desk

Fine Quality Mid C19th Ormolu-mounted Burr and Figured Walnut Kidney-shaped Writing Table or ‘Bureau-plat’

An Early 18th Century Walnut Secretaire Kneehole Desk

Antique Early Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Desk

18th Century Queen Anne and Later Walnut Kneehole Desk

Queen Anne Style Keehole Desk

Victorian Walnut Campaign Travelling Desk

Fine Victorian Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

Victorian Burr Walnut Davenport Writing Table - C1870

Lovely George III Circa 1780 Double Sided Walnut Partner Desk Original Handles

Antique Walnut Queen Anne Style Writing Knee Hole Desk

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