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Lot Essay
Imposing thrones were arguably the single most important element of formal arrangements in the palace during the Qing dynasty, and their production was highly regulated in terms of size, decoration and the materials used. Thrones created the platform upon which the emperor would be seen by his subjects and embodied the ultimate symbol of imperial power. Every throne, therefore, had to help create an imposing scene by being majestic in scale, constructed of the finest and rarest materials, and of the highest possible workmanship. Placed centrally in an Imperial hall, they would be backed by a large screen and flanked by pairs of incense burners, ornamental animals and fans. As discussed by John C. Ferguson in Survey of Chinese Art, Shanghai, 1940, there were more than one hundred throne chairs in the Palace. Wan Yi, Wang Shuqing and Lu Yanzhen additionally note in Daily Life in the Forbidden City, Hong Kong, 1988, pl. 196, that in the early Qianlong period, the emperor decreed that a screen and a throne be placed in each of the twelve eastern and western palaces, and repeated changes would be made in the following reigns.
There is little doubt that zitan was reserved for the most important thrones, as zitan had become a very expensive commodity by the early Qing period, as a result of excessive logging throughout the Ming dynasty. The wood's scarcity was compounded by the fact that the trees themselves are slow growing and require centuries to fully mature into usable material. Although local sources of zitan exist in the southern provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi, much of the material was imported from Southeast Asia. As an imported commodity, its use was scrupulously monitored and carefully restricted at the Imperial workshops.
Thrones required raw material of enormous girth to permit the construction of the rectangular seat and shaping of the sturdy protruding curve of the legs from a single piece of timber. From its massive size, it is evident that no expense was spared in the production of this throne. The generous use of large pieces of solid zitan also helps to date the throne to 19th century, since by the mid-late 19th century, supplies were so scarce that even Imperial furniture was made of much smaller sections of timber and often applied as a veneer over another wood.
Thrones come in two basic forms, differing only in the number of panels that form the back rest. The present example is composed of a single back panel flanked by two side panels forming the arm rests. The other variation is comprised of three back panels flanked by the two arm rests. The themes depicted in the carving on Imperial zitan thrones tend to fall into distinct themes, including dragons among clouds, floral scroll or landscape scenes. In contrast to the strictly prescribed forms and functions of Palace furnishings and working within the constraints of the emperor’s specific requests, the master craftsmen clearly had a wide degree of freedom in their interpretation of the designs and as a result, almost all known examples of thrones appear to be different and individual in their designs.
See a magnificent zitan 'dragon' throne, dated 18th-19th century, sold in Christie's New York 17-18 March 2016, lot 1319. See another zitan luohan bed, dated Qing dynasty, decorated with the same stylized dragon as the back of our present throne, in collection of the Palace museum of Beijing and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 54 - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, p.18, nos. 12.
There is little doubt that zitan was reserved for the most important thrones, as zitan had become a very expensive commodity by the early Qing period, as a result of excessive logging throughout the Ming dynasty. The wood's scarcity was compounded by the fact that the trees themselves are slow growing and require centuries to fully mature into usable material. Although local sources of zitan exist in the southern provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi, much of the material was imported from Southeast Asia. As an imported commodity, its use was scrupulously monitored and carefully restricted at the Imperial workshops.
Thrones required raw material of enormous girth to permit the construction of the rectangular seat and shaping of the sturdy protruding curve of the legs from a single piece of timber. From its massive size, it is evident that no expense was spared in the production of this throne. The generous use of large pieces of solid zitan also helps to date the throne to 19th century, since by the mid-late 19th century, supplies were so scarce that even Imperial furniture was made of much smaller sections of timber and often applied as a veneer over another wood.
Thrones come in two basic forms, differing only in the number of panels that form the back rest. The present example is composed of a single back panel flanked by two side panels forming the arm rests. The other variation is comprised of three back panels flanked by the two arm rests. The themes depicted in the carving on Imperial zitan thrones tend to fall into distinct themes, including dragons among clouds, floral scroll or landscape scenes. In contrast to the strictly prescribed forms and functions of Palace furnishings and working within the constraints of the emperor’s specific requests, the master craftsmen clearly had a wide degree of freedom in their interpretation of the designs and as a result, almost all known examples of thrones appear to be different and individual in their designs.
See a magnificent zitan 'dragon' throne, dated 18th-19th century, sold in Christie's New York 17-18 March 2016, lot 1319. See another zitan luohan bed, dated Qing dynasty, decorated with the same stylized dragon as the back of our present throne, in collection of the Palace museum of Beijing and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 54 - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, p.18, nos. 12.