A miniature armchair for placing a Baby Jesus as on a throne. Made from exotic wood, with turtle shell, mother-of-pearl and silver inlay. In the centre of the back of the chair, there is the symbol IHS (Iesus Hominum Salvator), used on the coat of arms of the Jesuits, with the nails of the Passion of Christ below, and on the back side, the coat of arms of the Convent of Jesus, above which are two winged Angels and a crown.
On the seat there is an orifice where the image of the Baby Jesus would have been secured. This small throne very clearly follows the models of Iberian furniture of the time. The Spanish, who established themselves in the Philippines in the second half of the 16th century, founded Manila in 1571, which was the seat of their influence in the Orient. They ordered a lot of things from the Chinese, who frequently visited the territory. This may be the case here, or even a product made in the Philippines themselves under Chinese influence. Furniture with turtle shell and mother-of-pearl inlay was made in the Philippines for the market in Peru and Mexico from the mid-17th century, where later it was made there, also.1
1 Manuel Castilho, Missionação A Rota de Lisboa e a Rota de Acapulco, Lisbon, 2000, cat. 25, pp. 69-71.
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