What wood are these usually made from?

Oak leads the titles, followed by mahogany and then walnut. The oak block is the largest single group, much of it Victorian sideboards and buffets, a good number mirror-backed. Above those sit the figured timbers: burr walnut in 39 titles, plus pollard oak, flame mahogany, amboyna, kingwood and satinwood. Padouk and satinwood appear in the Anglo-Indian pieces.

Which forms count as sideboards here?

Sideboards proper dominate, but the heading also takes in dresser bases and low dressers, buffets, chiffoniers, credenzas and side cabinets. They all served the same storing-and-serving role in different rooms. Within the sideboards, pedestal, breakfront and bow-front forms are named in mahogany titles, and mirror backs appear in 40 titles across oak and walnut.

Are French or Continental examples listed?

Yes, though as a minority. French buffets and enfilades account for 48 titles, and the latest thing in the archive is a 1940-dated French oak sideboard. Beyond Britain and France the spread is wide but thin: Anglo-Indian and Burmese padouk, Chinese elm and lacquer, Italian walnut, and Flemish, Dutch, Hungarian, Belgian, Irish and Scandinavian pieces appearing once or twice.

Do these carry maker's names?

No maker or workshop stands out in this category. The evidence returned no maker candidates at all, so a name in a listing is the exception rather than the pattern. What does appear instead is design language: Gothic, revival, and Arts and Crafts labels, plus "Ipswich oak" three times and "Cotswold School" once.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around 70 a year come to market on Sellingantiques, and 146 different dealers have listed one. No single dealer defines the category. Sizes range widely too, from titles reading "of small proportions" and "petite" up to six-foot buffets and sideboards billed as monumental.

Home > Sideboards > Carved Sideboards > Page 16

Antique Carved Sideboards

Q: How old are carved sideboards on Sellingantiques?

The dealer-entered dates run from 1700 to 1940, and 291 of the 636 listings carry a clean year. The rest use era labels, and "19th Century" and "Victorian" together outnumber any decade. Where decades are given they cluster in the 1850s, 1860s and 1880s, with a separate 1920s group and smaller 1900s and 1910s tails. The pre-1800 end is thin: a few late 17th-century oak dressers and servers, and one entry dated before 1700.