APELDOORN.- A throne is not just a piece of furniture: it is a symbol of special power and elevation. Besides representing royal or divine authority, a throne represents wisdom, justice and stability. From the opulent to the subdued, from classical to contemporary, from actual to fantasized, the exhibition Power of the Throne offers an insight into the meaning and evolution of this unique and loaded piece of furniture.

From the glorious chairs of kings and queens to the seats of leaders and fairy tale characters, Power of the Throne will question what ‘makes a chair a throne?’, ‘what does it mean for the person sitting on it?’ and ‘what influence do the people close to the throne have?’.

The exhibition sheds light on the contemporary relevance of thrones in the realm of the theater of power and how things can also go wrong. Autocratic regimes with 'strong leaders’ skillfully adopt ancient symbolism of the throne to underscore their authority, while at the same time, historical examples show that there are limits to power: cruelty, incompetence or obsolete power can lead to calls for change.

Key pieces in the exhibition include the modern-day throne of the Dutch Head of State King Willem-Alexander, which will leave its home in the medieval Ridderzaal (Knights’ Hall) in The Hague for the first (and only) time. There is also a full-scale replica of the Iron Throne from the cult HBO Max series The Game of Thrones, which will be exhibited apart so that visitors to the exhibition can sit on it and experience for themselves the seat of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.

Paleis Het Loo Curator Niels Coppes: "First I thought of the throne from the Knights’ Hall (Ridderzaal), which has never before left its home in The Hague. As luck would have it, the current renovation of the Ridderzaal made it possible. Fairy tales, films and series play a major role in today's images: once they knew that our Dutch Royal Throne was coming to Apeldoorn for this exhibition, the HBO Max team thought it was a wonderful plan to bring their iconic set-piece from Game of Thrones also into the setting. Power of the Throne will tell stories of different cultures through the lens of the throne: the defining symbol of divine and secular rule as a claim to power and authority. It will also invite visitors to reflect on the theme... "Is there a future for the throne?”.

Further important loans to the exhibition include an Ashanti throne, originating from the Ashanti Empire in what is now modern-day Ghana; the serene image of Mary as the Seat of Wisdom and contemporary Dutch artist, writer and photographer Jan Hoek's extraordinary universe. The exhibition features various art and historical objects from loans and from the Paleis Het Loo’s own collection. Objects have been borrowed from the Royal Collections of the Netherlands, the National Museum of Ethnology, the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, the Vitra Design Museum, HBO Max and private collectors, artists and galleries, offering surprising perspectives on the universal symbol of the throne.