Medieval and Renaissance Portables
It seems that all desks were portable to some extent, from medieval times to the end of the Renaissance, with the exception of built-in tables and inclined ranks of desks found in places such as the scriptorium or library of a monastery. This was due to the itinerant nature of medieval kingship and the similar conditions that prevailed in lesser administrations under dukes or counts. There was rarely a single capital for a kingdom, and the monarch and his (or her) court would travel periodically between several seats of power during the year, taking precious goods and quite a lot of furniture with them. A good example of this is Henry VIII's writing desk. The traditional French words for furniture - "le mobilier" and "les meubles" - reflect this. They describe those goods that are "mobile", in contrast to those that are not: "les immeubles", that is, buildings.
The desks we see in medieval woodcuts and other illustrations of the period were massive affairs, but they seemed to be capable of haulage by several men or of being made of pieces that could be knocked down for transport. The Trestle desk was a common form for the period. It was usually fitted with a slanted top.
In the homes of lesser nobles and certain members of the merchant classes the portable furniture never traveled very far. Most domestic life took place in a single large hall. Furniture was constantly shifted around, stored and often disassembled to suit the role the great room was playing at a particular time in the day or the month.
Read more about this topic: Portable Desk
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