The design and decor of the Normandie was orchestrated by the architect Roger-Henri Expert (1882-1955) who used the leading French artists and designers of the period to enrich the interiors of the ship. Expert was so passionate about the subject he wrote in an article "From the Dicor of the 17th Century to the Passenger Liners of Today" saying that the ocean liner 'was one of the last occasions where grand decorative schemes were incorporated with grand architecture'. These decorative schemes were pervasive throughout the Normandie and included the paneling, art, lighting, silver, china, furniture and other accoutrements, most in a lavish art deco style, which redefined the aesthetic of the ocean liner. The Grand Salon, one of the most richly appointed rooms on the ship, was decorated with four oversize murals, each consisting of 100 panels, combining the gods and goddesses of antiquity with the history of modern navigation. Mr. Expert's idea was designed by Jean Dupas (1882-1964) and executed by Jacques Charles Champigneulle in verre eglomise with gold, silver, platinum and palladium colors which brought comparisons to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and gave the room a rich golden tone. The four murals depicted: The Chariot of Poseidon on the port side, The Rape of Europa on the starboard side, The Birth of Aphrodite in the smoking room Starboard side, and The Chariot of Thetis on the Smoking Room port side. The Chariot of Thetis Mythology Thetis was one of the Nereids, born of the sea and a daughter of Nereus and Doris. Zeus and Poseidon desired her, in particular Poseidon for his wife, but she rejected both of their advances. The goddess Themis revealed to Zeus and Poseidon that Thetis was fated to bear a son who would be mightier than his father. Fearing for their respective dominions, Zeus gave Thetis as a bride to the mortal hero, Peleus, king of Phthia in Thessaly. All of the gods were invited to the wedding except Eris, the goddess of strife. Thetis and Peleus arrived for the wedding on a magnificent chariot of gold pulled by a pair of immortal horses: Xanthus and Balius which were one of many gifts from the gods. In anger, Eris threw a golden apple in their midst, it was inscribed: "To the Fairest". Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed to be the fairest and each wanted the prize. This led to Paris being the judge of the dispute, who awarded the apple to Aphrodite which lead to the Trojan War. This war would ultimately lead to Thetis and Peleus' son's (Achilles) death.

A pair of 'Verre Eglomise' panels from Chariot of Thetis mural for the Grand Lounge of the ocean liner S.S. Normandie

JEAN DUPAS, THE GLASS BY JACQUES CHARLES CHAMPIGNEULLE, CIRCA 1934

细节

A pair of 'Verre Eglomise' panels from Chariot of Thetis mural for the Grand Lounge of the ocean liner S.S. Normandie
Jean Dupas, the glass by Jacques Charles Champigneulle, circa 1934
a pair of panels depicting fireworks from the upper right side of the 'Chariot of Thetis' mural
31½ x 49½ in. (80 x 127.7 cm.) each (varies slightly) (2)

出版

Jacques Baschet, "L'Oeuvre Decorative de la 'Normandie'" L'Illustration: Le Paquebot "Normandie", June 1, 1935, p. 206 (for "The Chariot of Thetis" mural in its entirety.

Bruno Foucart et al., Normandie, Queen of the Seas, 1985, p. 73 (for an illustration of the "Chariot of Thetis" marquette)

November/December 1998 Carnegie Magazine: "The Chariot of Aurora: A Myth for Modern Times" by Louise Lippincott, Curator of Fine Arts, and William Real, Chief Conservator, Carnegie Museum of Art (for a discussion on the decorations in the Grand Salon on the Normandie)

November/December 1996 Carnegie Magazine: "A Race Among Nations: the Making of the Normandie Panels," by Ellen T. White (for a further discussion on the decoration of the Grand Salon on the Normandie)