What is a canterbury used for?

Originally sheet music and bound folios, kept low beside a piano or in a library. The divisions hold loose paper upright without creasing it. By the Victorian period the same form was holding newspapers and periodicals, and that is how it is usually described now.

Why are so many called magazine racks?

Because it's the trade's working name for the object. The word magazine appears in 27 of 78 titles, rack in 22, and the compound magazine rack in 17. Only eight titles use the word music. The two names describe the same piece of furniture.

Which woods turn up most?

Mahogany leads, appearing in 28 of 78 titles. Walnut follows with 13 and rosewood with 10. Oak, bamboo and satinwood appear in smaller numbers, and there is a separate group in brass and copper.

How common are canterburys on Sellingantiques?

Around three are listed a year, so they arrive in ones and twos rather than in a steady run. Even so, 53 different dealers have handled one at some point. It's a piece most dealers meet once rather than stock.

Are bamboo canterburys part of the category?

Yes, and they form a small consistent thread rather than a one-off. Five turn up in the samples, including one described as tiger bamboo. Two of them are given as Aesthetic Movement, the later 19th-century taste that accounts for the group.

Do canterburys carry maker's names?

Not in this archive. A scan of the descriptions returned no cabinetmaker or retailer appearing across the category. Descriptions lean instead on timber, period and form: rosewood, Regency, two tier, with drawer.

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Antique Canterburys

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A canterbury is a low open stand on legs or castors, divided into slatted compartments, made to hold sheet music, folios or newspapers beside a piano or chair.