The experience of attribution of the throne chair of tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and the ivory throne in the 19th-21st centuries

The study aims to clarify the attribution of two throne chairs (“diamond throne” and “ivory throne”), which are part of the collection of the Kremlin Armoury, since their dating and origin are still objects of scientific discussion. The materials used were the furniture items themselves, documents from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, published documents of palace orders and the Armoury Archive, coronation albums, as well as the results of previous historical, art history and museological studies conducted by various scientists during almost two hundred years. The author for the first time considers the studied artifacts as objects of furniture art, using the method of stylistic analysis, the comparative method, research methods used in source studies and specialized auxiliary scientific disciplines, as well as methods and techniques for establishing the text. The author substantiates the dating of the appearance of Alexei Mikhailovich’s throne chair in the Kremlin Treasury, reveals the name of the person who ordered the throne and the role of persons involved in donating the throne chair. The author analyzes references to the chair in the coronation albums and in later studies containing the image of the subject. The exhibit is considered from the point of view of the development of furniture art: the author examines its shape, decorations, miniatures placed on its body, and the dedicatory inscription. The author infers that the throne chair dates back to the 15th-16th centuries, its original manufacturers were European masters working in Persia, and that new elements were added to the decor in a later period. Analyzing the ivory throne, the author draws an analogy between this throne and the throne of Maximianus of Ravenna (6th century), tracing the two chairs back to the legendary throne of King Solomon. Based on the analysis of the decor details, the author argues that the ivory throne appeared no earlier than in 1621. She hypothesizes that the throne has a Russian origin. The author describes the decoration of the throne and proves the idea that it was not the only piece of furniture decorated with ivory decor in the royal treasury. Based on the sources of the first half of the 17th century, the author describes a similar object - a “large ivory chair”, indicates the details that distinguish it from the ivory throne. She assumes that these two items are actually the same artifact dating back to the 14th century, which, during its existence, survived multiple reconstructions and changes, and took its final shape in the 1830s.