A Small Early 18th Century English Antique Oak Bureau Bookcase In Original Condition

A rare and engagingly small English antique oak bureau bookcase of the early eighteenth century, surviving in wonderfully honest and original condition.

Pieces of this form are most commonly encountered either heavily restored or "married" from associated parts; an example of modest, domestic proportions that retains its original surface, handles and untouched character is a considerable rarity — and one that sits as comfortably in a contemporary interior as it would have done in a Queen Anne parlour.

Of typical two-part construction, the upper section is surmounted by a moulded cornice above a pair of glazed doors (with their original riven hand-made glass), enclosing shelving for the display of books and favoured objects. Most unusually, it features a rare pair of integral candle shelves that slide out above the fall front — ingenious early fittings designed to hold candlesticks for illumination while writing or reading. These small projecting shelves are seldom found intact, and their survival here underscores the piece’s originality and domestic practicality. The fall front, retaining its original lock and hinges, opens to reveal a writing surface and a well-fitted interior of pigeonholes and small drawers ranged about a central compartment — the practical, considered arrangement of the period. Beneath, the bureau is fitted with two short over two long graduated drawers, the whole raised upon shaped bracket feet.

The piece is constructed throughout in the manner of the early eighteenth century, the drawers retaining their original hand-cut dovetails and oak linings and bearing the scribe lines, tool marks and oxidation that are the unmistakable evidence of the hand workshop. The original cast-brass handles and escutcheons remain in place, and the timbers have acquired the soft, mellow patina that can only be the gift of three centuries of careful use — a surface impossible to imitate and all too easily destroyed by over-zealous restoration.

It is precisely this unrestored, original state, increasingly difficult to find, that distinguishes the present example. A charming and genuinely useful piece of period furniture, equally suited to the study, the drawing room or the hall.

The upper bookcase retains its early glazing pattern and period timber. At the same time, the fall‑front bureau opens to reveal a fitted interior with drawers and pigeonholes typical of the first decades of the 1700s. Most unusually, it features a rare pair of integral candle shelves that slide out above the writing surface — ingenious early fittings designed to hold candlesticks for illumination while writing or reading. These small projecting shelves are seldom found intact, and their survival here underscores the piece’s originality and domestic practicality.

The exterior timber displays a warm, time‑softened surface with the quiet depth only centuries of handling can produce. This is an honest, untouched piece of early Georgian domestic furniture — the sort that seldom appears on the open market and is increasingly sought after by collectors who value authenticity over restoration.

It is precisely this unrestored, original state, increasingly difficult to find, that distinguishes the present example. At just 24 inches wide and a mere 18 inches deep, it has none of the bulk one associates with the form, sitting neatly against a wall where a larger bureau bookcase would dominate — a charming and genuinely useful piece of period furniture, equally suited to the study, the drawing room or the hall.

Provenance: England. Early 17th Century. Found in Kent. Fresh-to-market.

Material: Oak, glass and brass.

Condition: Please refer to the detailed images. One piece of glass has a small crack in one corner; however, this remains very stable and in our opinion, given the originality of the piece, should not be replaced.

Dimensions: Height 71¼ in (181 cm) x Width 24 in (61 cm) x Depth 18 in (46 cm)