Bureau Marie-Antoinette Riesener Versailles

A writing table (French ''bureau plat'') has a series of drawers directly under the surface of the table, to contain writing implements, so that it may serve as a

desk A desk or bureau is a piece of furniture with a flat table-style work surface used in a school, office, home or the like for academic, professional or domestic activities such as reading, writing, or using equipment such as a computer. Desks of ...

. Antique versions have the usual divisions for the

inkwell An inkwell is a small jar or container, often made of glass, porcelain, silver, brass, or pewter, used for holding ink in a place convenient for the person who is writing. The artist or writer dips the brush, quill, or dip pen into the inkwell ...

, the blotter and the sand or powder tray in one of the drawers, and a surface covered with

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

or some other material less hostile to the

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventual ...

or the

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument which uses a metal nib to apply a water-based ink to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeatedly dip the pen in an in ...

than simple hard wood. In form, a writing table is a

pedestal desk A pedestal desk or a ''tanker desk'' is usually a large, flat, free-standing desk made of a simple rectangular working surface resting on two pedestals or small cabinets of stacked drawers of one or two sizes, with plinths around the bases. Of ...

without the pedestals, having legs instead to hold it up. This is why such tables are sometimes called leg desks. The writing table is often called a "bureau plat" when it is done in a French style such as

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, Art Nouveau, etc. When a writing table is supported by two legs instead of four, it is usually called a

trestle desk There are two kinds of trestle desk: as with trestle tables, some have trestles joined by one or more stretchers (and sometimes to the desktop), and some have free-standing trestles. They can be dismantled, with the desk top removed from the tres ...

. The writing table is also sometimes called a library table, because it was often placed in a home library. This was the room in a house where a gentleman would keep literature and also do his business transactions. The library often housed, in addition, a round desk called a rent table and sometimes a

drawing table Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

. The term library table is sometimes applied indiscriminately to a wide variety of desk forms, in addition to being used for writing tables. Some writing tables have additional drawers built above the surface. In this case they are often called

bureau à gradin A bureau à gradin is an antique desk form resembling a writing table with, in addition, one or several tiers of small drawers and pigeonholes built on part of the desktop surface. Usually the drawers and pigeonholes directly face the user, but the ...

instead of writing table, unless they have a more specific form, such as that of a

Carlton House desk A Carlton House desk is a specific antique desk form within the more general bureau à gradin form. This form of desk is supposed to have been designed in the 18th century for the Prince of Wales (who later became George IV) by George Hepplewhite. I ...

. A reading and writing table with an easel or double easel for books that was adjustable on a

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet, metonomic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratchet (instrument), a music instrument and a ...

and a drawer fitted for writing implements was a mid-18th century English inventionDesign XXIV in

Ince and Mayhew Ince may refer to: *Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK *Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK *Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield *Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...

's ''Universal System of Household Furniture'', London, 1759-62, noted in

John Gloag John Gloag (10 August 1896 - 17 July 1981) was an English writer in the fields of furniture design and architecture. Gloag also wrote science fiction novels. Gloag served with the Welsh Guards during the First World War, and was invalided home af ...

, ''A Short Dictionary of Furniture, rev. ed, 1969, ''s.v.'' "Reading Tables". that lasted as long as the habit endured of reading while standing. The writing tables are good for maintaining posture and help readers or writers to work longer , nowadays writing tables evolved into desk with desktop systems and other smart devices according to one's need. ''edited by Ekansh kumar''

Notes

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References

* Gloag, John. ''A Complete Dictionary of Furniture''. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press, 1991. * Oglesby, Catharine. ''French Provincial Decorative Ar''t. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1951. * Romand, Didier. ''L'argus des meubles''. Paris: Balland, 1976. * Souchal, Genevieve. ''French Eighteenth Century Furniture''; translated by Simon Watson Taylor. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1963. Desks Tables (furniture)

See also

Notes

References