SHAKER REVOLVING CHAIR, MOUNT LEBANON, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1860 |

Ed Clerk Antiques, Bethlehem, Connecticut

Wear and discoloration commensurate with age and use. Three of the spindles and the crestrail were previously cracked and reglued. One of the arms of the iron mount beneath the seat is cracked at the junction with the screw hole.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The revolving chair, also known as a revolving stool or swivel chair, was made in many styles and sizes at the Shaker village in Mount Lebanon as early as 1860 and as late as the 1940s. The earliest examples stood on long legs and were often used in the brethren’s shops. Low revolving chairs such as this example, with Windsor-like comb backs, were rarely made before 1840. An identical revolving chair made in Mount Lebanon around the same time as this chair is pictured in The Encyclopedia of Shaker Furniture by Timothy D. Rieman and Jean M. Burks (Exton, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2003): p. 199, fig. 264. It is of the same form, with a rounded spindled back, a circular seat, a tapered stem, and a pair of arched legs. Aembeddededded in the stem allowed the seat to be raised or lowered as it turned. Another similar example in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (#66.10.26) was made in circa 1840-1870 and appears illustrated in June Sprigg, Shaker Design (Whitney Museum of American Art, 1986), cat. 34.