Glamour on the High Seas
June 2007
At the 2006 International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show, New York gallery Maison Gerard
exhibited a set of five verre églomisé panels depicting the Chariot of Thetis that formerly graced the Grand Salon of the Normandie. Designed around 1934 by Jean Dupas, they carried a price tag of $575,000 and were a glorious reminder of the great liners that once plied the Atlantic. “It is the last remaining large section of this mural containing all the
figures and is extremely rare,” says gallery co-owner Gerard Widdershoven.
Shipping posters were displayed in travel agencies to catch the eye of prospective passengers so they had to be “boldly graphic,” says Faber. The most famous is a depiction of the Normandie by A.M. Cassandre. “It is a spectacular image by the greatest poster artist of the 20th century,” says Jack Rennert, president of Posters Please Inc., which holds May and November auctions in the International Poster Center in New York. “It shows a view of the ship’s hull rather than
the side, and that was a new perspective.” At Christie’s last June, a 1935 example brought $38,400 (est. $20,000–$25,000).
“Collectors weigh four factors, an appealing image, artist, rarity and condition,” Rennert continues. He describes an appealing image as a close-up of elegantly dressed passengers reclining in deck chairs or playing shuffleboard. Among the desirable artists are Johann von Stein, Henri Cassiers and Paul Colin. At its last November sale, Posters Please sold a 1901 Red Star Line poster by Cassiers for $4,140 (est. $4,000–$5,000).
Ephemera from ill-fated ships are of special interest. At Christie’s last June, a plan of first-class accommodations for the Titanic dated December 1911 brought $21,600 (est. $15,000–$25,000), an exhibition standard waterline model of the Italian Line’s Andrea Doria (1951), which sank off Nantucket in 1956, sold for $13,200, far above its estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.
The Normandie is another example. On May 29, 1935, 50,000 people lined the docks in Le Havre to see the ship embark on her maiden voyage to New York. It was the most lavish vessel of its time, with luxurious interiors created by France’s leading designers and artists. “She was a showcase for French Art Deco,” says Dietrich. New York gallery DeLorenzo currently has a gilded chair with original Aubusson upholstery from the Grand Salon for about $60,000 and a Christofle silverplate wine cooler for $3,250. Last June Christie’s sold a group of Lalique glasses from the ship’s private suites for $7,200 (est. $3,000–$5,000) and Christofle first-class flatware place settings for $16,800 (est. $12,000–$18,000).
In 1942 the Normandie caught fire. The ship was salvaged and restored but capsized in 1945. Deemed too expensive to salvage a second time, she was scrapped. Author Ludwig Bemelmans wrote her eulogy: “I loved her for her gaiety, for her color, for the familiarity with all the world that was in her passenger list.”
Doris Goldstein is an Art & Antiques New York correspondent and a veteran “100 Top Treasures” reporter.
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House flag and name board from a lifeboat |
Shipping posters were displayed in travel agencies to catch the eye of prospective passengers so they had to be “boldly graphic,” says Faber. The most famous is a depiction of the Normandie by A.M. Cassandre. “It is a spectacular image by the greatest poster artist of the 20th century,” says Jack Rennert, president of Posters Please Inc., which holds May and November auctions in the International Poster Center in New York. “It shows a view of the ship’s hull rather than
the side, and that was a new perspective.” At Christie’s last June, a 1935 example brought $38,400 (est. $20,000–$25,000).
“Collectors weigh four factors, an appealing image, artist, rarity and condition,” Rennert continues. He describes an appealing image as a close-up of elegantly dressed passengers reclining in deck chairs or playing shuffleboard. Among the desirable artists are Johann von Stein, Henri Cassiers and Paul Colin. At its last November sale, Posters Please sold a 1901 Red Star Line poster by Cassiers for $4,140 (est. $4,000–$5,000).
Ephemera from ill-fated ships are of special interest. At Christie’s last June, a plan of first-class accommodations for the Titanic dated December 1911 brought $21,600 (est. $15,000–$25,000), an exhibition standard waterline model of the Italian Line’s Andrea Doria (1951), which sank off Nantucket in 1956, sold for $13,200, far above its estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.
The Normandie is another example. On May 29, 1935, 50,000 people lined the docks in Le Havre to see the ship embark on her maiden voyage to New York. It was the most lavish vessel of its time, with luxurious interiors created by France’s leading designers and artists. “She was a showcase for French Art Deco,” says Dietrich. New York gallery DeLorenzo currently has a gilded chair with original Aubusson upholstery from the Grand Salon for about $60,000 and a Christofle silverplate wine cooler for $3,250. Last June Christie’s sold a group of Lalique glasses from the ship’s private suites for $7,200 (est. $3,000–$5,000) and Christofle first-class flatware place settings for $16,800 (est. $12,000–$18,000).
In 1942 the Normandie caught fire. The ship was salvaged and restored but capsized in 1945. Deemed too expensive to salvage a second time, she was scrapped. Author Ludwig Bemelmans wrote her eulogy: “I loved her for her gaiety, for her color, for the familiarity with all the world that was in her passenger list.”
Doris Goldstein is an Art & Antiques New York correspondent and a veteran “100 Top Treasures” reporter.
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