244 | Chrysanthemum Throne
FILED UNDER: THE GILT ROOM
Recovered from beneath a stack of old correspondence in the Gilt Room, its gold brocade barely faded despite the room's years of soft candlelight. No one has identified whose lineage it was meant to recall.
SHELL
Heavyweight silk brocade, a vintage Japanese silk obi; an architectural weave featuring imperial chrysanthemum medallions in a lattice of soft gold and silver, its shine gentled by time. The bone-hued panels along the sides offer a clean, structural counterpoint to the dense brocade. Era undetermined.
LINING
Crisp, undyed cotton.
DETAILING
A triple-layered boundary at the bust featuring vintage cotton lace, a white braided trim, and a gold brush-fringe.
STRUCTURE
11-panel construction reinforced with synthetic whalebone; engineered to lift the chest and cinch the waist.
LACING
Softly bouncing tea stained ribbons through reinforced gold-toned grommets.
SIZE
S to lower M [size guide]
EDITION
One of one.
FROM THE CITY ARCHIVES
The Gilt Room
Chrysanthemum Throne was recorded among the specimens kept in the Gilt Room, a small, gilded chamber where much of the gold has softened with age. Sunlight lingers here longer than almost anywhere else in the City, pooling across polished brass and old brocade while soft piano notes drift in from the corner. It has long been used for private gatherings and occasions that call for a little more ceremony than an ordinary room provides.
