The bureau neatly combines the function of a writing table with that of a decorative filing cabinet — features which make it doubly sought after.

The Bureaux’s distant ancestors were the medieval lectern and its more portable version the lapdesk, which had a hinged flap like the top of a bureau. By the late 17th century, the lapdesk was given a stand so the user could sit at it — and thus the ‘ bureau-on-stand was born. The need for extra storage space led to the bureau proper, with a bank of drawers under the writing slope, which appeared in the William and Mary period (1689-1702). Since that time these pieces have been made in a variety of forms.

Bureaux

The earliest bureaux come in two sections, with a writing box sitting on a chest of drawers. The top section, which can be lifted off, commonly hangs over the drawers slightly at each side. In superficially similar early gith-century examples the join between the two sections is hidden by a strip of heavy continuous moulding, even though by then most bureaux were made as a single piece.

William and Mary bureaux are almost invariably veneered in walnut and are usually wider and squatter than later pieces. They are rare, and in original condition will comfortably top £5000 at auction.

Antique Collection

Still rarer is a form of bureau-on-stand which was made well into Queen Anne’s reign (1702-14). It was given gently curved cabriole legs and ball-and-claw or hairy paw feet. An original Queen Anne bureau-on – stand will fetch £7000-£25,000 and upwards, particularly if the legs have fine carving.

Bureaux-on-stands were much imitated in the 1920s and 30s, and a good 1930s example could change hands for £500-£800.

By George I’s reign (1714-27), the bureau form was fully developed, and remained largely unchanged for the rest of the century. The earliest type had a secret ‘well’ compartment over three tiers of drawers. Later the well was replaced by another tier of drawers with one long or two short drawers.

Bureaux of the first quarter of the 18th century are the most sought after, and they were generally veneered in walnut, which is notoriously fragile. Many have therefore been repaired or even totally re-veneered, lowering the value significantly. A restored George I walnut bureau of the standard width of about 42-48 (1.05-1.2 m) will usually sell at auction for £2000-£4000, whereas a small Queen Anne example in original condition could fetch £6000-£8000. It may make even more if the veneer is the particularly rich, deep colour beloved by collectors. In early 18th-century Britain, walnut was veneered onto a pine carcass (pine being much cheaper than either oak or walnut), and, therefore, an English walnut bureau with au oak carcass is unlikely to be an original. However, an 18th-century oak bureau that has not undergone such veneering can be good value at less than £1200 in most cases. The bureaux that come up most often at auction today are mahogany. Their colour is the most important single factor after size and originality in determining the price of pieces. Mid- 18th-century examples made with richly figured mahogany tend to be the most keenly sought after. Prices vary comparatively little, however, and most sell at auction for between about £1000 and £2000.

Bureaux remained popular pieces of furniture throughout the 10th century, especially in their cylinder and roll-top forms. These do not open with a hinged fall front. Instead, the cylinder bureau has a sliding drum front — a solid piece of curved wood; the roll-top type has a series of hinged slats that can be pushed up and pulled down.

Bureaux Cabinet and Bookcases

From the start of the 18th century, cabinets and bookcases were added to the top of bureaux and were produced in a range of contemporary styles. The rarest and most sought after today are the japanned versions from the beginning of the 1700s. Auction prices of £100, 000 are not uncommon for these. Even 19th or 2oth-century copies, especially if in red lacquer, will fetch as much as £3000-£5000 and sometimes even more.

Queen Anne period walnut bureau bookcases and cabinets with an ornate double- domed cornice are also highly prized, often selling for £20, 000-£40, 000. Even fully refurbished versions, or loth and early 20th-century copies, will fetch over £5000. Less spectacular versions with a simple cornice, with or without mirrored doors, sell for £5000-£10, 000 — but in every case it is vital to check the amount of restoration.

Early Georgian bureau cabinets, made in mahogany during the William Kent period, can fetch in excess of £ 1 0, 000-£15 ,000. These are often topped with Neoclassical features such as a pediment in the form of a broken triangle or a scroll. Most Georgian bureau cabinets and bookcases are fairly plain and relatively inexpensive. A straightforward example in reasonable condition will rarely exceed £3000. But buyers should inspect these pieces for signs of a ‘marriage’ between a separate base and top, which lowers the value.

Over the last few years, early 20th-century Edwardian bureau bookcases have come to cost nearly as much as their original Georgian counterparts. They are generally more decoratively inlaid and lessbulky, and now fetch upwards of £1900. A similar inlaid Edwardian bureau without a bookcase top will go for around £900.

SECRETAIRES

A variation on the bureau, developed in the second half of the 18th century, was the secretaire, not to be confused with the French secrétaire a abattant. In the British secretaire, it is the top (false) drawer- front of the chest, as opposed to the sloping front of the bureau, that lowers to form the desk surface. Secretaire chests were made throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries. Most will sell for between £800 and £1900.

As with bureaux, however, the extend id type with a bookcase or cabinet on top was also made. A Georgian secretaire bookcase of good proportions will fetch upwards of £3000-£4000, although most go for between £1900 and £3000. Many heavy Victorian examples can be found for £1900 or less.

The French secrétaire a abattant is an upright cabinet standing about 60 in (1.9 m) high with a hinged flap halfway down for the writing surface and drawers below. Early examples are rather severely Neoclassical in style, with a marble. top surrounded by a brass gallery. Empire and mid-19th-century examples are chunkier and are often made of deeply figured mahogany enriched with ormolu mounts. The style was never very popular in this country, probably because it was rather awkward to work at. Even now, prices are comparatively low: about £2000- £9000 for all but the very best pieces or signed examples by famous makers.

Echoes of French-style secretaries can be seen in two 18th-century British designs. The first, the escritoire, appeared late in the William and Mary period. In essence it is a broader version of the secretaire a abattant, but in two sections and usually made of walnut. Well-figured or attractively inlaid examples usually fetch £3000-£6000.

About 90 years later, another French- inspired form of secretaire was made by such designers as Thomas Chippendale and Vile & Cobb. It consists of a narrow upright chest with a secretaire section. The distinctive feature is a Chinoiserie or Gothic fretwork gallery of one or more shelves. Now rare and keenly sought after, good examples may change hands for more than £ 10, 000.

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Antique Writing Table Bureaux and Secretaires