Armchair from the First-Class Dining Room of the S.S. Normandie
Design Date 1932-1934
Designer Pierre Patout (1879-1965, French)
Media mahogany wood, bronze and cloth upholstery
Dimensions 34 5/8 x 22 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches
In 1935, the S.S. Normandie ocean liner’s maiden voyage won it the Atlantic speed record for the next three years. The ship was celebrated as an example of French technological achievement and was treated as a floating version of the 1925 Exposition Universelle des Arts Décoratifs, with French designers commissioned to decorate the ship’s interiors in the Art Deco style. The chair was designed for the first–class dining room of the S.S. Normandie. The chair’s original upholstery bears a stylized crest with two lions, which represents the Normandy region of France. The brass sabots on the ends of the chair’s two front legs were inspired by the designs of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a peer Art Deco designer, who often incorporated similar touches.
ON VIEW in Art Deco Gallery 6
Markings unmarked
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2012.0762
