SHOWCASE 47. THRONES OF THE 17TH CENTURY

Thrones played an important role in official ceremonies in the 17th-19th centuries. In the 18th century, thrones stood on a high stepped dais beneath a canopy and were often the only pieces of furniture in the enormous hall. 

On display are two thrones of the first tsars of the Romanov dynasty. The throne of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich was executed at the beginning of the 17th century from the old chair of oriental workmanship which had belonged to Ivan the Terrible. In its form, high back and arms, it resembles Russian armchairs, but oriental motifs still remain in the ornament. The throne is faced with embossed gold and adorned with rubies, pearls, turquoises and other uncut stones.

The shape of the so-called ‘diamond throne’ of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, the most elaborate of the Royal thrones in the Armoury collection, is reminiscent of the throne of Tsar Mikhail, his father. Granted to the Tsar by the Armenian Trading Company in Persia in 1660, the throne is made of sandalwood faced with gold and silver plates with foliate ornamentation. Its seat is decorated with a bold carved pattern depicting a procession of elephants and mahouts on their backs. The back of the throne is covered with black velvet and embroidered images of two genii supporting a crown over the inscription glorifying the Tsar and his power. The whole surface of the throne is faced with an intricate mosaic of turquoises and diamonds.