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 4

Antique Walnut Desks

258 items · page 4 of 17

← Page 4 of 17 →

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.

Walnut Kneehole Desk with Green Tooled Leather Writing Surface

1920 - 1940

Save

Walnut Kneehole Desk with Green Tooled Leather Writing Surface

From Pap Antiques and Restoration Ltd

£1,950

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Early 20th Century Burr Walnut Writing Desk by Wylie & Lochhead Glasgow

1920 - 1940

Save

Antique Early 20th Century Burr Walnut Writing Desk by Wylie & Lochhead Glasgow

From Pap Antiques and Restoration Ltd

£1,350

FOR SALE

desks

1900 - 1920

Save

Burr Walnut Queen Anne Style Desk

From Philip Hunt Antiques

£1,595

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

Save

Fine Queen Anne , Early 18th Century Walnut Kneehole Desk

From Holmes Antiques

£3,200

FOR SALE

desks

1920 - 1940

Save

Art Deco Desk

From Poirot Art Deco

£2,250

FOR SALE

desks

Outstanding Quality Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Kneehole Desk by Maple & Co.

19th century

Save

Outstanding Quality Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Kneehole Desk by Maple & Co.

From London City Antiques

£3,795

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Edwardian Walnut Desk | Nine Drawers

1900 - 1920

Save

Antique Edwardian Walnut Desk | Nine Drawers

From ActFurniture LTD

£625

FOR SALE

desks

Small Proportioned Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

19th century

Save

Small Proportioned Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

From Worboys Antiques

£675

FOR SALE

desks

18th century

Save

Queen Anne Walnut Kneehole Desk

From Hansord Antiques

£2,850

FOR SALE

desks

19th century

Save

19th Century Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

From Wakelin and Linfield

£2,950

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.

1920 - 1940

Save

Art Deco Desk by Betty Joel

From Poirot Art Deco

£3,750

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Pedestal Desk in Walnut & Burr Walnut C.1880

19th century

Save

Antique Pedestal Desk in Walnut & Burr Walnut C.1880

From The Old Cinema

£1,695

FOR SALE

desks

1900 - 1920

Save

Edwardian Walnut Pedestal Writing Desk

From Sinclairs Antiques and Interiors

£950

FOR SALE

desks

Victorian Burr Walnut & Oak Pedestal Desk with Leather Top C.1880

19th century

Save

Victorian Burr Walnut & Oak Pedestal Desk with Leather Top C.1880

From Salisbury Antiques Centre

£1,450

FOR SALE

desks

Antique Figured Walnut Queen Anne Style Desk

1900 - 1920

Save

Antique Figured Walnut Queen Anne Style Desk

From Marylebone Antiques

£775

FOR SALE

desks

A Burr Walnut Serpentine Fronted Desk C1920

1900 - 1920

Save

A Burr Walnut Serpentine Fronted Desk C1920

From Castleforge Antiques Ltd

£745

FOR SALE

desks

← 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 17 →

Antique Walnut Desks

Walnut Kneehole Desk with Green Tooled Leather Writing Surface

Antique Early 20th Century Burr Walnut Writing Desk by Wylie & Lochhead Glasgow

Burr Walnut Queen Anne Style Desk

Fine Queen Anne , Early 18th Century Walnut Kneehole Desk

Art Deco Desk

Outstanding Quality Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Kneehole Desk by Maple & Co.

Antique Edwardian Walnut Desk | Nine Drawers

Small Proportioned Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

Queen Anne Walnut Kneehole Desk

19th Century Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

Art Deco Desk by Betty Joel

Antique Pedestal Desk in Walnut & Burr Walnut C.1880

Edwardian Walnut Pedestal Writing Desk

Victorian Burr Walnut & Oak Pedestal Desk with Leather Top C.1880

Antique Figured Walnut Queen Anne Style Desk

A Burr Walnut Serpentine Fronted Desk C1920

Add keywords to the filter

Price

Era

Period

Style

Material

Origin

Stock Location

Recently Added

Online Payments

Categories