The Silver Throne

The Hall of State at the Royal Palace of Stockholm is home to one of the most poignant objects in Swedish history: Queen Kristina's silver throne.

It has wooden framework and is completely covered in silver. Personifications of justice (Justitia) and wisdom (Prudentia) stand atop the high back support. Two angels hold a crowned laurel wreath between them.

The silver throne was a gift to Queen Kristina from Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie for her coronation in 1650. It is the work of the goldsmith Abraham Drentwett of Augsburg and is made of forged and cast silver sections mounted on a wooden frame.

The two female figures on either side of the coat of arms depict Justitia (Justice) with the sword and scale, and Prudentia (Truth) with her mirror. Between them, two flying cherubs hold a laurel wreath, which originally surrounded Kristina’s monogram.

For Adolf Fredrik’s accession to the throne in 1751, the small national coat of arms was placed inside the wreath instead. The current silver fabric, with its crowns, lace and tassels, also dates from the 18th century.

The throne canopy was made in Paris from drawings by Jean Eric Rehn for the coronation of Adolf Fredrik
and Lovisa Ulrika in 1751.

But how did the throne come to be made from silver? Why not gold, as was the case with so many other pieces during this period of great splendour?

In the Christian tradition, the colour white symbolises innocence, purity and perfection, and during the Renaissance the royal houses of Europe began to wear white wedding clothes. Silver was used in the attire worn during coronations, with the same symbolic significance.

"Were it in my power to marry, I would willingly do so… But I say this explicitly, that it is impossible for me to marry. Such is the nature of the matter. I cannot give my reasons, but my heart is not in it. I have prayed diligently to God, but in vain."

Queen Kristina was, perhaps, the most intellectual monarch Sweden has ever had. She spoke Latin, French, German, Dutch, Greek, Italian and Spanish, and surrounded herself with intellectuals.

In 1649, the year before her coronation, she made it clear that she never intended to marry. Kristina had probably decided to convert to Catholicism and to abdicate even before taking her place on the silver throne at her coronation in 1650. She left Sweden in 1654.

The Royal Palace of Stockholm is open all year round.

Photo: Alexis Daflos