The curule chair was for senior magistrates including dictators, masters of the horse, consuls, praetors, censors, and the curule aediles. As a form of a throne, it might be given as an honor to foreign kings recognized formally as a friend (amicus) by the Roman people or senate. Designed for use by commanders in the field, the curule chair could be folded for easy transport. It had no back, low arms, curved legs forming an X, and was traditionally made of or veneered with ivory. In Gaul, the Merovingian successors to Roman power employed the curule seat as an emblem of their right to dispense justice. Their Capetian successors also retained the iconic seat. The "Throne of Dagobert," of cast bronze retaining traces of gilding, is conserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. First mentioned in the 12th century, it was already a treasured relic on which the Frankish kings sat to receive the homage of their nobles after they had assumed power. The "Throne of Dagobert" was used for the coronation of Napoleon. |