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SS Normandie

Chairs from Grand Salon of SS Normandie slated for May auction

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
SS Normandie
Left: Jean-Maurice Rothschild, SS Normandie armchair. Right: Jean-Maurice Rothschild, SS Normandie slipper-back lounge chair. Each is estimated at $6,500-$8,500. Images courtesy of Rago Auctions

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – On Sunday, May 20, 2018, Rago Auctions will sell four extravagantly beautiful chairs from the Grand Salon of one of the grandest luxury ocean liners to ever cross the Atlantic, the SS Normandie.

The SS Normandie, built at the French port of Saint-Nazaire for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, entered service in 1935. The largest and fastest ship of its time, it remains the most powerful steam and turbo-electric propelled passenger ship ever built.

The SS Normandie was likewise exceptional for its luxuriously appointed interiors, decorated in Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style by some of the finest French architects and designers of the age, including Roger-Henri Expert, Jean de Brunhoff, and Jean-Maurice Rothschild. It was Rothschild, also noted for designing furniture for the original Eiffel Tower restaurant, who created the chairs that will be auctioned by Rago.

All four chairs have been professionally restored by Miguel Saco Restorations. All of the brass leg sabots and mounts on the underside of the chairs used to secure the chairs in place on the ship are original. The Aubusson upholstery designed by Emille Gaudissart is original and hand-restored. The chairs are being offered with the original 1942 U.S. Custom’s auction receipts included.

Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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