An early 19th century Boston rocking chair, the shaped…

 

lyre back. Attributed to the 18th century designer Robert Adam, the back splat is in the form of a lyre, a Greek musical instrument similar to a harp. In shape it resembles two reversed scrolls. Chairs continued to be made in this style for at least the next fifty years. In Australia many cedar chairs and tables have survived dating to the 1830s and 1840s, featuring the lyre shape in the back splats and as supports for small tables.

rail. A term used by cabinet makers for the horizontal sections of the frame of an item such as a chair or settee which have a front rail, a back rail and two side rails, and also on a door or carcase, where the rails are joined to the vertical framings.

turning. Any part of a piece of furniture that has been turned and shaped with chisels on a lathe. Turned sections include legs, columns, feet, finials, pedestals, stretchers, spindles etc. There have been many varieties and fashions over the centuries: baluster, melon, barley-sugar, bobbin, cotton-reel, rope-twist, and so on. Split turning implies a turned section that has been cut in half lengthwise and applied to a cabinet front as a false decorative support.

spoon back. Applicable to chairs, and as the name indicates, is a type of chair back that is shaped like a spoon, with a rounded top, and curved back made so that the whole of the sitter's back is cocooned within the back of the chair. This type of back was popular in Victorian dining and occasional chairs.

The buyers premium is an additional percentage charge on the hammer price of the item, imposed by the auction house to cover administrative costs. The buyers premium percentage varies between auction houses, with a range of 12.5% to 22%.