Why is burr walnut so common in this category?

Walnut was prized for the figure of its burr veneers, and it was a favoured show wood for dressing tables in the early Georgian period and again in the early twentieth-century revival. On Sellingantiques, 287 of 480 titles say burr. The figure of the veneer is what these pieces were built to display.

Are Queen Anne walnut dressing tables actually eighteenth century?

Usually not. Queen Anne appears in 48 titles as a style description, meaning cabriole legs and a revival idiom rather than a date. The sample carries Queen Anne walnut dressing tables dated 1850, 1910 and 1920. Georgian is used the same way on twentieth-century pieces.

What does a Duchess dressing table mean?

It's a Victorian type, named in 20 titles, with a large central mirror flanked by drawers. The label appears nowhere outside the Victorian group, so it's a useful pointer to period as well as form.

How old are most walnut dressing tables listed?

The dated field runs from 1800 to 1930, with 383 of the 480 listings carrying a clean year. The weight sits firmly in the twentieth century. The 1920s account for 193 dated listings and the 1930s a further 63, with 39 in the 1910s and 20 in the 1900s. Victorian and nineteenth-century material together comes to less than the 1920s alone.

Do French walnut dressing tables turn up?

They do. French is the largest non-English origin at 49 titles, roughly one in ten of the category. They bring marble tops, fold-out and lift-top lids, marquetry and painted finishes. The poudreuse, a lidded lady's dressing table, surfaces twice. A single Dutch and a single Italian example are the rarest origins present.

What else gets filed under this heading?

Dressing chests, which are chests of drawers with a mirror above rather than a kneehole table, appear in 28 titles. Mirrors run to 34 titles, taking in shaving mirrors, telescopic shaving stands and dressing mirrors. Stools appear 27 times, washstands and full bedroom suites less often.