What period are most of these from?

The dated field runs from 1800 to 1930, and the profile leans heavily Edwardian. Edwardian, 1900s and 1910s together make about two-thirds of the dated entries. Only 45 of the 112 listings carry a clean year. The rest sit under era words, with 'Edwardian' alone accounting for 35 and '19th Century' for 13. Victorian material is thinner, and 18th-century or Georgian attributions are few.

Which timber turns up most often?

Mahogany is named in nearly half the titles, which is why the Edwardian mahogany dressing table is the standard encounter. Satinwood comes second at around one in seven. Beyond those two, the archive also turns up ash, oak, walnut, rosewood, kingwood and tulipwood, so the timber list is longer than the headline suggests.

Is marquetry the same as inlay?

Marquetry is a kind of inlay. The difference is what the inlay draws: lines and bands in one case, flowers, foliage and scrollwork in the other. Titles keep the two apart. 'Line inlaid' signals plain stringing, while 'marquetry' signals a pictorial or floral scheme. Marquetry is named in ten titles across the archive, but forms a much bigger share of current stock.

How often do these come up for sale?

Supply runs at roughly thirteen a year on Sellingantiques. Sixty-one different dealers have listed one, which means most dealers who handle them do so once and not again. It is not a category with a regular trade behind it.

Are continental examples common in this category?

No. The body of stock is overwhelmingly English. Dutch, French, Italian and Viennese pieces together make only a handful of listings, and they sit high in the range. The two highest-priced in the sampled range were a French marquetry table and a George III marquetry example. The single ormolu-mounted piece, a tulipwood and marquetry table of French origin, is the only ormolu recorded.

Do dressing chests differ from dressing tables?

A dressing chest is a chest of drawers with a mirror above it, so there is no open leg space beneath. A dressing table stands on legs, sometimes with a kneehole between drawer banks. The chest form is a minority strand. 'Chest' appears in eleven titles and 'dressing chest' in eight, against 92 titles using 'dressing table'.

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Antique Inlaid Dressing Tables

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A bedroom table or chest with a mirror above and drawers below, its veneered surfaces dressed with contrasting inlay, from plain lines to floral marquetry.