Throne of Maximian
A bishop’s chair entirely clad in carved ivory, one of the masterpieces of the Byzantine age.
The throne was made for Archbishop Maximian of Ravenna in the mid-6th century. The panels show John the Baptist, the Evangelists and the story of Joseph. It is in the Archiepiscopal Museum in Ravenna.
Materials: Ivory panels on a wooden frame
Manufacture: About forty carved ivory panels set in frames of vine scrolls.
The rounded back and box-like seat – a throne, not an everyday chair.
The frames of vines and animals that bind the narrative panels together.