R.M.S Olympic Chair

Extremely rare ,1st Class [A La Carte’] Original Solid Walnut, hand carved Dinning chair. circa 1911

AN EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL ‘A LE CARTE’ SOLID WALNUT DINNING CHAIR FROM THE ICONIC RMS OLYMPIC.

An original ‘a la carte' solid Walnut carved Carver from the famous and iconic RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic.

These superb chairs were specifically made for the fine but small restaurant that served the finest French cuisine for 1st Class passengers. The restaurant was lavishly decorated in Walnut panelling with deep relief carvings and gold leaf filigree and these hand carved chairs - of which there were about 100 - were designed to compliment the decor.

Eight months later when the sister ship Titanic was launched it was decided, due to the Olympic restaurant’s popularity, that a similar restaurant be put on the Titanic but twice the size. The exact chairs and lavish decor was mirrored for the Titanic and made in the same workshop by Harland & Wolff.

Unfortunately, as history recalls, all this and more ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic on April 12, 1912, including probably 200 of these chairs.

So approximately 300 of these hand made chairs were commissioned for both ships.

When finally they scrapped the Olympic in 1935 after the restaurant had had the most famous people dining there - the likes of Charle Chaplin & Douglas Fairbanks amongst many others. Chaplin was quoted as describing it as ‘the best restaurant in the world’.

This chair was purchased on the quay side in 1935 by a Belfast family and was sold by them 2 years ago.

The whole exquisite interior of the Olympic was sold in numerous auctions along the quay side next to the ship, as all the interior was taken of this floating palace, the RMS Olympic.

Evidence of provenance was left under the chairs upholstery cover by the upholsterer who recovered the chair, most likely in the late 1970’s/80 in the form of the original dark brown underlinen & original tacking in two separate areas under the chairs lower seat structure. The chair frame is in excellent and unmolested condition and very comfortable and Solid.

There is a small crack to the top back rail which will be restored before dispatching to the purchaser. The upholstery is not original but very well done and in keeping with the chair. I was told by an expert that there were only about 80 of these chairs onboard the Olympic.

So a very rare and iconic chair with and incredible history - shame it can’t talk!

These chairs rarely come on the market, with the remainder mainly in museums and with Titanic travelling museum events.

SOLD