Page 168 - 2019 September 13th Christie's New York Important Chinese Works of Art

An Imperial throne setting includes fve elements of
furniture: the throne, the pair of incense stands, the
foot stool, the pair of fan holders, and the screen.
This suite of furniture created a platform upon
which the emperor would be seen by his subjects
and embodied the ultimate symbol of imperial
power. Their production was highly regulated in
terms of size, decoration and the materials used.
Placed centrally in an Imperial hall, every throne
setting had to create an imposing scene by being
majestic in scale, constructed of the fnest and
rarest materials, and of the highest possible
workmanship. A carved red lacquer and jade-inlaid
throne setting in the Qing Court collection, Beijing,
and illustrated by Hu Desheng, The Palace Museum
Collection: A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty
Palace Furniture, vol. 1, Beijing, c. 2007, pp. 14-15,
fg. 1, exemplifes the awe-inspiring impression
generated by this style of formal presentation. See,
also, a red lacquer and zitan throne setting shown
in situ in the “hall of Great Reverence” (Chong Jing
Dian) and illustrated in The Complete Collection of
Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the
Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, p.
304, no. 257.
Thrones come in two basic forms, difering only in
the number of panels that form the back rest. The
present example is composed of a single back panel
fanked by two side panels forming the arms. The
other variation is comprised of three back panels
fanked by the two arms. The themes depicted on
Imperial thrones tend to fall into distinct themes,
including dragons among clouds or foral scenes,
both of which are featured on the present throne.
The depiction of the single-clawed dragon on the
present throne compares closely with the single-
clawed dragons on a red lacquer, gilt-decorated
throne in the Qing Court collection, Beijing, and
illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures
of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming
and Qing Dynasties (I), p. 31, no. 23. Further, the
treatment and the composition of the stone inlay
is similar to a jade-inlaid, zitan throne in the Qing
Court collection, also illustrated ibid., p. 25, no. 18,
which like the present throne, is decorated with
hardstone inlay on the inward-facing side panels
and back panel and lacquered on the outward-
facing panels. By examining variations in design and
treatments, such as the present suite, it is clear that
if master craftsmen worked within the constraints
of the emperor’s specifc requests, they enjoyed
a wide degree of freedom in their interpretation
of the designs and as a result, almost all known
suites of throne furniture appear to be diferent and
individual in their designs. It is likely that that these
throne sets would have been reserved for use in the
important halls, chambers and formal rooms in the
Imperial Household.
It is very rare to fnd a complete imperial throne
setting outside of the Qing Court collection. The
present suite includes three of the fve required
elements: the screen was also available at the
present owner’s time of purchase but the fate of the
fan holders is unknown. This richly decorated throne
setting, inlaid with vibrant and colorful hardstones
and gilt paint, typifed the sumptuous lifestyle of the
Imperial Court in the late Qing period. It is easy to
imagine how splendid this present suite of furniture
would have been within an Imperial hall.