Throne of the Emperor Qianlong
China
1775 - 1780
Carved lacquer on wood
Height 118cm x width 125cm x depth 92 cm
Museum no. W.399-1922

Chinese Imperial throne of carved polychrome lacquer on a wood core, depicting five clawed dragons and exotic figures meant to represent the bearers of tribute from foreign lands. The throne was almost certainly commissioned in the late 1780s for the Tuanhe Travelling Palace, one of several temporary abodes of the emperors of the Qing dynasty in the Nan Haisi (Southern Ponds) hunting park immediately south of Beijing.