Constructed of a sturdy wooden frame veneered with a rarer wood, possibly walnut, the throne integrates intricate gilding, silver elements, and bronze hardware. Its rich iconography and regal portraiture reflect its dual function as both a practical object of daily use and a ceremonial emblem in the royal household. Found intact in the tomb assemblage, the chair offers valuable insight into the artistry, symbolism, and status of a princess at the height of Egypt’s New Kingdom.

circa 1185 BCE

Structure
The seat is constructed from common wood covered partly with a four-millimeter-thick veneer of finer wood secured with wooden pegs. Its four legs, shaped as lion paws with meticulous carved toes and dewclaws, rest on high ridged drum bases. These were originally sheathed in stucco, linen, and silver leaf. Crossbars that brace the legs were plated in silver with gilt, stylized papyrus-umbel ends. A curved strut under the seat and additional gilt wood edging provide further stability. The seat itself consists of a herringbone weave of strong linen cord threaded through holes in the frame. Despite its age, this structure was robust enough to support the weight of visitors to the tomb centuries later.

The chair's backrest curves comfortably around the sitter and is supported by three vertical struts; the outer two have additional gilt wood borders. The back panel is constructed of framed supports infilled with veneered wood bearing painted and gilded decoration. Bronze nails reinforce the mortise-and-tenon joints, supplemented by wooden pegs to fill natural knots in the wood. The armrests are similarly built of four framed sections infilled by wooden panels. Bronze nails and dowels secure the mortises, and their front ends are adorned with gilt portrait heads (inspect), probably representing Sitamun herself, bearing a short, curly wig and broad usekh collar, a style characteristic of elite women of the period.

Decorations
The chair’s back is richly embellished with gilded plaster reliefs and silver veneer. The reverse features a fine feather pattern on silver foil, blackened with age. The front displays a formal scene in which Princess Sitamun appears enthroned twice, receiving a broad collar as a gift from a female attendant. She wears a pleated linen dress reaching her ankles, a usekh collar, bracelets, a sidelock of youth, and a diadem crowned by a gazelle emblem and three lotus blooms. She holds a sistrum and menat — ritual instruments associated with Hathor — emphasizing her sacred role. The attendants, rendered identically in wigs, collars, belts, and long skirts, bear the collar on a tray as part of a ritualized presentation. Above the scene is a lotus frieze, with an inscription naming Sitamun as “the eldest daughter of the king whom he loves,” and a caption reading “offering gold of the lands of the South.”

The inner sides of the armrests continue this processional imagery with four women bearing piles of gold rings. Their attire matches the servants on the back panel, wearing lotus-topped headdresses and closely fitted dresses. On the outer panels, protective deities appear: Taweret, shown as a composite hippopotamus-lion-crocodile figure with characteristic dotted hide, is flanked by three representations of Bes, one playing a tambourine and the others wielding knives. Both deities were believed to ward off evil spirits and promote fertility and health — common protective motifs on domestic furnishings of the Eighteenth Dynasty.