Wall tile for a project to decorate the liner normandie

At the beginning of the 20th century, competition between transatlantic lines led companies to create increasingly luxurious ships. Launched in 1935 by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, the liner Normandie became the ambassador on the seas of French engineering, know-how and art de vivre. The greatest modern artists and designers contributed to its decoration and furnishings, making it a floating masterpiece of Art Deco.

This slab by the glassmaker Champigneulle, based on drawings by Dupas, was part of the artistic emulation and the great sumptuary programme. It is identified as a preparatory project for a mural composition in the grand salon of the first classes of Normandy, representing the chariot of Thetis. It features a half-reclining female figure with outstretched hair, and a naked child who could personify one of Thetis' most famous sons, Achilles.

Requisitioned by the United States in 1942 to be converted into a troop transport ship, the Normandie sank in New York Bay following a fire. The ship's conversion works had made it possible to preserve some of the ship's décor before the disaster, such as that in the grand salon, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

• 26 January 1931 - Start of construction of the liner Normandie at the Penhoët shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
• 29 October 1932 - Launch of Normandie in front of 200,000 people, including President Albert Lebreun
• 29 May 1935 - Normandie departs on her maiden cruise to New York. She wins the blue ribbon for the fastest crossing.
• 3 September 1939 - With France's entry into the war, Normandie stays in New York to avoid potential attacks in the Atlantic.
• 11 May 1941 - The United States takes control of Normandie, transforming her into a troop transport, the USS Lafayette.
• 9 February 1942 - A fire breaks out during refitting work. The ship capsizes under the weight of the water spilled by the pump boats.
• 1947 - The wreck of Normandie is definitively demolished.