1940s Art Deco Style Dining Chairs - Set of 4

Description

Set of 4 Art Deco dining chairs constructed from flame maple wood, upholstered in tapestry textile. 1946. The chairs came … more Set of 4 Art Deco dining chairs constructed from flame maple wood, upholstered in tapestry textile. 1946. The chairs came from the Sandringham dining room aboard the cruising liner RMS Caronia which sailed transatlantic from Southhampton to New York regularly. Nicknamed the green Goddess due to the painted green hull.
RMS Caronia was in service for only 20 years; built as an all 1st class luxury cruising vessel which included 2 dining rooms. She provided transatlantic service between Southampton England and New York, the Caribbean and round the world cruises and was considered the Millionaires ship.
Laid up in New York in 1967 after only 20 years of service due to the advent of the ‘Jet liner’ making the transatlantic crossing the newest and fastest way to travel. After sitting in New York harbor for 10 years accumulating dockage dues, the ship was sold for scrap to the far east and was arranged to be towed by a German tug to Guam. Almost at it’s destination a typhoon forced the German tug boat to cut the lines in order to save themselves. The RMS Caronia was thrust onto the rocks at the entrance to the harbor in Guam and broke into 3 parts. The contents of the ship were sold off while berthed in New York from 1967 to 1977.
These 4 chairs were reupholstered over 40 years ago and the original cloth from the underside of the seats with CARONIA SANDRINGHAM RESTAURANT written on each of them, was saved. Images of the SANDRINGHAM dining room on board the RMS CARONIA can be found online along with other historical documentation about the ship. it's a fascinating story which gives these chairs great historical provenance.
Also found the furniture maker from London who was listed as the craftsmen for' fine furniture' aboard the Caronia. HILLE London, fine furniture makers founded in the late 1800’s. less