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Hawaiian Coat of Arms on the gates of Iolani Palace, Honolulu. 2007 photo by Paul Kao, appears through Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License

Donated chair was commissioned by Hawaiian queen

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

Hawaiian Coat of Arms on the gates of Iolani Palace, Honolulu. 2007 photo by Paul Kao, appears through Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License
Hawaiian Coat of Arms on the gates of Iolani Palace, Honolulu. 2007 photo by Paul Kao, appears through Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License
HONOLULU (AP) – An antique chair dropped off at the Academy Art Center by an anonymous donor turns out to have been commissioned by Queen Liliuokalani for the Iolani Palace Blue Room.

Iolani Palace Collections Manager Malia Van Heukelem spotted the chair Thursday a few hours after it was left at the center.

Van Heukelem says the red velvet has replaced the chair’s blue upholstery, so she wasn’t immediately sure if it was one of 10 chairs commissioned by the queen.

A note left with the chair said it came from the estate of Herminia Laola Ross of Honolulu. She died last year.

The Academy of Arts plans to return the 150-year-old chair to Iolani Palace next week.

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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-07-12-10 1554EDT

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Iolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Iolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaii.