Wooden chair with 12 steel blades, China, 1701-1900 Science Museum Group Collection.[1226×2082]

Despite its unpleasant associations, this chair is ornately decorated with foliage, scrolls and the heads of mythological sea monsters called makara. It is made from wood with 12 steel blades in the arm, back and foot rests and seat. For many years this chair was falsely believed to be a torture instrument, however it was more likely used by Chinese spirit mediums or tang-ki (pinyin tongji) whilst channeling the spirit of a god. Sitting on the blades demonstrated the superhuman power of the god over the human flesh, which remained unharmed