Chinese Throne Room in the Asian Art Museum in Berlin
The Throne Room houses Chinese court art. The enormous roof construction, which is based on the Chinese pagoda form, was made from poplar wood and consists of 1300 individual parts. The floor of black natural stone is surrounded by clay-plastered wall surfaces and a niche set in stainless steel accommodates the large-format mural “The Buddha Sermon” by the court painter Ding Guangpeng (active 1708 – 1771). The work (543 x 1015 cm) is extremely light-sensitive and is presented only a few times a day.
The throne in the centre of the room is the only one in European collections that still stands in front of its original screen. It depicts the “Paradise of the Daoist Immortals” – so that when the Emperor sat in front of it, he was symbolically accepted into their kingdom. The hugely elaborate inlays of numerous tiny pieces of mother-of-pearl, gold, and silver foil make this imperial ensemble a work of special artistic magnificence.