Quelles sont les œuvres d’art englouties à bord du Titanic ?
The RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912, was carrying over 300 paintings, drawings, prints, and art objects according to its cargo manifest. The most famous artwork lost was the 1814 neoclassical painting 'La Circassienne au bain' by French artist Merry-Joseph Blondel, owned by Swedish businessman Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, which was insured for $100,000. Also lost was the legendary 'Grand Omar,' a jewel-encrusted luxury edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, created by the London bindery Sangorski & Sutcliffe.
This historical inventory matters to the art world as it highlights the significant financial and cultural value of art lost in the disaster, with Blondel's painting resulting in the highest single-object insurance claim. The story intersects with art market history, provenance, and restitution, while also connecting to a current major exhibition about the Titanic in Paris. The recent recovery of artifacts like the 'Diane de Versailles' bronze statue demonstrates ongoing interest in salvaging these culturally significant items.