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Lot Essay
An Imperial throne setting includes five 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 finest and rarest materials, and of the highest possible workmanship.
The legs of current lot appears to consist of sections of zitan, while the rest are made of zitan-clad softwood. This combination of different materials was not uncommon, as discussed by Tian Jiaqing, Notable Features of Main Schools of Ming and Qing Furniture, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 111, where he states that in order to reduce the weight of large pieces of furniture and the deformation caused by changing moisture content, nanmu would be used for the frame and zitan would be used to clad it.
Compare to a zitan and zitan-clad nine dragon throne formerly in the C.Ruxton and Audrey B. Love collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 20 October 2004, lot 315.
The legs of current lot appears to consist of sections of zitan, while the rest are made of zitan-clad softwood. This combination of different materials was not uncommon, as discussed by Tian Jiaqing, Notable Features of Main Schools of Ming and Qing Furniture, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 111, where he states that in order to reduce the weight of large pieces of furniture and the deformation caused by changing moisture content, nanmu would be used for the frame and zitan would be used to clad it.
Compare to a zitan and zitan-clad nine dragon throne formerly in the C.Ruxton and Audrey B. Love collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 20 October 2004, lot 315.