Thrones of Canada
The throne of Canada (left) and throne for the royal consort (right)—both commissioned in 1878—behind the speaker's chair in theSenate
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| Monarchy of Canada |
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Thethrones of Canadaare the chairs for themonarchandroyal consortorgovernor generalandviceregal consort,usually located in theSenate chamberofParliament.There are presently two sets ofthronesfor the federal Parliament, the first commissioned in 1878 and currently undergoing restoration, and the second, made in 2017, in use in thetemporary Senate,while theCentre Blockof Parliament is under renovation. There are also thrones for thelieutenant governorsrepresenting the monarch in eachprovinciallegislature.
Use
[edit]SinceConfederationin 1867, a throne has always been present inthe Senate,signifying the connection betweenCrownand Parliament.[1]The King, or the governor general representing the sovereign, will be seated in the monarch's throne to read thespeech from the throne,as part of thestate opening of Parliament,or to grantroyal assentto bills passed by theCommonsandSenate.The governor general will also use the sovereign's throne at his or her installation ceremony. If the King or governor general is accompanied by their consort, the latter will be seated on the consort's throne, to the left of the King's. The 1878 thrones have occasionally been moved outside for ceremonies onParliament Hill,such as thecentennial of Confederationin 1967 and the signing of theConstitution Act, 1982.
In the legislature of eachprovince,a throne is used by the relevantlieutenant governorfor the same purposes as above. There are, however, no thrones for the viceregal consort in those parliaments.
Federal parliament
[edit]1878 thrones
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The thrones in theSenate chamberofParliamentwere commissioned in 1878, ahead of the arrival ofJohn Campbell, Marquess of Lorne,asGovernor General of Canada,accompanied by his wife,Princess Louise,who would serve asviceregal consort.[2]The chairs were made by theTorontofirm Holbrook & Mollington, costing $329.70,[2]and are made ofoak,carved in the style of 19th centuryGothic Revival,including vines, oak leaves, and medallion heads.[1]The monarch's throne bears a carved rendition of theroyal coat of arms of the United Kingdom(as Canada was then under theBritish monarch) and the consort's chair, designed specifically for Princess Louise, hasher personal coat of armson the headpiece. The carved faces on either side of each throne are unidentified; they are possibly the visages of the craftsmen who constructed the thrones.[2]
ForQueen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubileein 1977, the monarch's throne was depicted on a commemorativesilver dollar.[2]The throne is also recreated as part of astatue of Queen Eliazbeth IIin front of theOntario Legislative Buildingin Toronto.
2017 thrones
[edit]The sovereign's throne (left) and royal consort's throne (right)—made in 2017 usingEnglish walnutfromWindsor Great Park,donated by Queen Elizabeth II—behind the speaker's chair in thetemporary Senatechamber
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To commemorate thesesquicentennial of Confederationin 2017, and while theCentre Blockof Parliament is under renovation and the Senate is relocated to theSenate of Canada Building,a pair of thrones and a speaker's chair were commissioned from Dominion Sculptor Phil White. These were designed in aNeoclassical stylethat both meshes with theBeaux-Arts architectureof the building and draws inspiration from the thrones John Pearson, the architect of the Centre Block, conceived of in the 1920s. UsingEnglish walnutfromWindsor Great Parkthat was donated by Canada's then-reigning monarch, QueenElizabeth II,the thrones were completed by craftsmen and upholsterers fromOntarioandQuebec.Theroyal cypherof Elizabeth II is carved andgildedon the headpiece of the King's throne and it and the consort's throne bear crowns atop the headpieces and theescutcheon(shield) and ribbon of theRoyal Coat of Arms of Canadaare embroidered on the chair backs.Lilies,symbolizing themonarchsofNew France,andTudor roses,for themonarchs of pre-Confederation Canada,adorn other parts of the thrones.[1]
Provincial parliaments
[edit]Nova Scotia
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Though the monarch's representative, thelieutenant governor of Nova Scotia,uses thespeaker's chair in the legislative chamber ofProvince Houseto deliver the throne speech at theopening of parliament,[3]the province does have separate thrones located in the legislature's Red Chamber, which was home of theparliament's upper houseuntil 1928. Made frommahogany,the near-identical thrones—one for the monarch or lieutenant governor and the other for the royal or viceregal consort—bearrose,thistle,shamrock,andmayflowercarved into headpieces, surmounted bySt Edward's Crownon the sovereign's throne and theCrown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother,on the slightly smaller consort's throne.[4]Other parts of the thrones are covered inacanthus scrolls.[5]
The first chair was made in 1860,[5]for Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later KingEdward VII), during his tour ofthe Maritimesandthe Canadasthat year. The second throne was made by A.H. MacMillan in 1939 forQueen Elizabeth,the consort of KingGeorge VI,during theirroyal tour of Canada.[4]The thrones are positioned beneath portraits of KingGeorge IIIandQueen Charlotte.
Prince Edward Island
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In the Confederation Chamber ofProvince HouseinCharlottetownis a chair formerly used byJames Cummiskeyas Speaker of theLegislative Council.It was also used as a throne by thelieutenant governorat formal openings of the legislative session. Catherine Hennessy, of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, purchased the chair from Cummiskey's daughter, Kate MacKenzie, in 1970 and it was held in storage untilParks Canadabegan a renovation of Province House, including restoration of the chair.[6]
Thespeaker of the Legislative Assembly's chair is now used as a throne by the lieutenant governor.
References
[edit]- ^abcSenate of Canada,The Senate Thrones: Modern Day Masterpieces in a Historic Setting,Queen's Printer for Canada,retrieved6 February2023
- ^abcdBoswell, Randy (3 June 2011),"Senate throne fit for a queen's son-in-law",The Free Press,retrieved6 February2023
- ^Nova Scotia Legislature,Opening of the Legislature,King's Printer for Nova Scotia,retrieved6 February2023
- ^abNova Scotia Legislature,Photo Gallery: Portraits and Artifacts,King's Printer for Nova Scotia,retrieved6 February2023
- ^abNova Scotia Legislature,Photo Gallery: Portraits and Artifacts,King's Printer for Nova Scotia,retrieved6 February2023
- ^Hennessy, Catherine (14 March 2001),The Cummiskeys,Catherine Hennessy,retrieved11 February2023
External links
[edit]- Speeches from the Throne- Parliament of Canada