Fascinating Fridays (Thrones)

Thrones are as linked to the concept and mystique of monarchy as crowns. One cannot imagine a king without a throne as much as he cannot be without his kingdom. In today's post we will discuss in an introductory fashion some of the thrones of the Monarchies of Europa. For an explanation of the meaning of the word throne follow this link: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/throne. Many thrones have existed and have been lost or destroyed through history and the 96 Revolution was no different costing posterity some historic treasures. However thrones were fortunately not so aggressively targeted as were other symbols of Royalty.

Many Kingdoms my have more than one throne placed for different occasions in various venues. Sometimes even makeshift thrones are used and a mere fancy chair may be placed strategically to serve a monarch. There is the a preeminent throne usually referred to as the Coronation or Investiture Chair upon which a monarch is officially acclaimed. These thrones are usually, the most historic, symbolic and often embellished with gold and precious stones. 

This photo taken recently during the Duke of Swann's visit to Reichenthal, shows a small throne in the background. The so called "Small Throne Room" in the Palace of Reichenthal serves as a kind of  "welcoming room" and in days gone by the King of Reichenthal would receive his guests in full state here. This is not the main throne of the nation of Reichenthal.

In a hasty meeting in 2012 Lady Arcwhite officially received a Syldavian delegation headed by the Grand Duke of Serbieski. A simple black chair was drafted to serve as throne for this meeting. 

In contrast to the previously mentioned chair the very imposing Mirror Throne of Arcwhite is the official one of the realm and serves as Arcwhite's Coronation Chair. The Mirror throne is said to be made from the shattered glass taken from the mirrors broken by Ladies of the Veil in their induction ceremony. The are required to askew all personal vanity in favour of total devotion to the Lady Arcwhite and as such show their loyalty in swearing allegiance by breaking a hand mirror at her feet in these ceremonies. The shattered glass is then added to the throne. The throne is further embellished gold, silver, rock crystal and fiaence glass. 

The throne of Romagna has been preserved along with many other historic Royal relics in the main palace of the former Romagnan Royal Family. The current pretender, Duchess Di Giorgio was invited by the Democratic Government of Romagna to take a set of photos commemorating the country's history and to officially be welcomed back from exile. She accepted and this portrait in front of the throne was the result. The throne is made using indigenous Romagnan marble slabs, some gold and silver and meticulous hand painted art. 

All that remains of what was the Imperial Throne of the United Empire of Scot-Britania is this rough concept sketch. It went missing during the 96 Revolution and is thought destroyed. The simple design incorporated no precious materials but did display symbols of the Imperial Monarchy. 

The positively spectacular Throne of Swann is not very large but overwhelming in its use of gold which is also equaled in the detailed craftsmanship. It was commisioned for the first independent sovereign Duke of Swann from the famous Reichenthalian Carpenters Guild. World famous for their exceptional skills in furniture making, goldsmithing and other crafts, this throne stands as a testament of the level achievable by the Reichenthalian artisans. The throne, rich in symbolism is still in use by the Dukes of Swann and serves as Coronation Chair and for State Portraits. 

Many but not all of the thrones in Europa were born in Reichenthal's workshops so one would not expect the ruler of the small region to have one of the most awe inspiring thrones. The Throne of Reichenthal is of simple design and of unimposing stature but it does employ a high level of artistic execution and its claim to fame is that it is made almost entirely of gold. In the State Portrait above we can see the the elegant design and gleaming grandeur of this Reichenthalian masterpiece. 

More thrones exist and will be encountered on this blog as time passes but for today's post that will be it for now.