Antique versions have the usual divisions for the inkwell, the blotter and the sand or powder tray in one of the drawers, and a surface covered with leather or some other material less hostile to the quill or the fountain pen than simple hard wood.
The writing table is often called a "bureau plat" when it is done in a French style such as Louis XVI, Art Nouveau, etc.
When a writing table is supported by two legs instead of four, it is usually called a trestle desk.
In this case they are often called bureau à gradin instead of writing table, unless they have a more specific form, such as that of a Carlton House desk.
A reading and writing table with an easel or double easel for books that was adjustable on a ratchet and a drawer fitted for writing implements was a mid-18th century English invention[1] that lasted as long as the habit endured of reading while standing.