Elena Rossi
The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 remains one of the world's most famous shipwrecks. The ship was carrying a number of wealthy passengers, many of whom had brought artworks and other treasures on board. While there is no record of any famous paintings being on the ship, several valuable artworks were lost in the disaster, including a signed portrait of Italian nationalist Garibaldi and a large drawing of a woman of unknown origin. The most valuable single item lost was a painting by Merry-Joseph Blondel, 'La Circassienne au Bain', which was insured for $100,000, equivalent to over $2 million today. Several paintings by Claude Monet were also believed to have been lost, as they were part of a private collection belonging to American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, who perished in the sinking.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of sinking | April 15, 1912 |
| Paintings onboard | Several paintings by Claude Monet, including a signed portrait of Garibaldi |
| Merry-Joseph Blondel's La Circassienne au Bain | |
| Unknown Monet painting | |
| Owners | Benjamin Guggenheim |
| Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson | |
| Value of La Circassienne au Bain | $100,000 in 1913, approximately $2.6 million in today's currency |
| $3 million | |
| $2 million | |
| Other art lost | A large drawing of a woman |
| A signed portrait of Italian nationalist Garibaldi | |
| A jewelled edition of The Rubaiyat, a collection of poems by Omar Khayyam | |
| A rare 1598 copy of Francis Bacon's essays | |
| A custom-bound edition of Omar Khayyam's Rubaáyyát |
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What You'll Learn
- The most expensive item lost on the Titanic was Merry-Joseph Blondel's 'La Circassienne au Bain'
- A signed portrait of Italian nationalist Garibaldi was believed to have been lost
- Several paintings by Claude Monet were believed to have been lost
- There is no record of any famous paintings being on board the Titanic
- A replica of Pablo Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon' was featured in the film 'Titanic'
The most expensive item lost on the Titanic was Merry-Joseph Blondel's 'La Circassienne au Bain'
The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 remains one of the most infamous shipwrecks of all time. While the loss of over 1500 lives is the most tragic aspect of the disaster, the loss of the ship itself and its cargo is also notable. The ship was carrying a number of valuable items, including several paintings by Claude Monet, part of a private collection belonging to American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim. However, the most expensive single item lost on the Titanic is believed to have been Merry-Joseph Blondel's 'La Circassienne au Bain'.
'La Circassienne au Bain' is a Neoclassical painting, featuring a full-length portrait of an idealised Circassian woman stepping into a bath. It was painted in 1814, early in Blondel's career, and exhibited at the Paris Salon at the Louvre Museum in the same year. The painting was initially received with some reserve by critics, who felt it lacked the artist's usual artistic nuance and dynamism. However, public opinion differed, and the painting became well-regarded.
The painting was brought on board by Swedish businessman Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, who was travelling to the US to further his studies. He survived the sinking of the ship, but his prized possession did not. Björnström-Steffansson filed an insurance claim for the painting, believed to be the highest claim for any single item, requesting $100,000 (equivalent to over $2 million today, or $3 million in 2023 dollars). However, it is unclear how much money he ultimately received.
The loss of 'La Circassienne au Bain' has kept the name of Merry-Joseph Blondel alive, as each anniversary of the Titanic's voyage brings the painting back into the spotlight. While the painting itself was lost at sea, lithographic reproductions from French and German periodicals do exist, giving some insight into what the original may have looked like. An anonymous artist, John Parker, also reproduced the work in colour in the early 2010s.
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A signed portrait of Italian nationalist Garibaldi was believed to have been lost
A signed portrait of Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi was among the precious artworks believed to have sunk with the Titanic. The painting was a personal treasure of John Pierpont Morgan, the American financier and collector who formed the shipping line that built the ill-fated vessel. Morgan had a strong interest in art and owned a significant collection, including old master paintings and rare manuscripts. He had a particular fascination with Garibaldi, an Italian general and patriot who played a key role in the country's unification in the 19th century.
The portrait of Garibaldi was a prized possession for Morgan, and it is believed that he kept it on board his personal yacht, the 'Corsair'. When Morgan died in 1913, his son inherited the yacht and the artwork. Unfortunately, the 'Corsair' was sold and renamed the 'Titanic II', and it was this ship that was used to transport a number of valuable artworks to New York, including the Garibaldi portrait.
The painting was signed by Garibaldi himself, adding to its uniqueness and historical significance. It is believed that the portrait showed the Italian hero in a characteristic pose, with his distinctive beard and intense gaze. The loss of this artwork, along with other priceless pieces, adds a layer of cultural tragedy to the already devastating human loss caused by the sinking of the Titanic.
The story of the Garibaldi portrait's presence on the Titanic remains a fascinating footnote in the ship's history, offering a glimpse into the world of art collecting and the personal passions of one of the era's most influential men, J.P. Morgan. The painting's fate, lost at the bottom of the Atlantic, is a reminder of the unpredictable nature of history and the sea, and the fragile relationship between them.
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Several paintings by Claude Monet were believed to have been lost
The Titanic, a luxury liner, sank on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg on its maiden voyage. Several paintings by Claude Monet were believed to have been lost in the wreckage. These paintings were part of a private collection belonging to Benjamin Guggenheim, an American businessman who lost his life in the sinking. While it is believed that the paintings were lost, there is a possibility that they were salvaged and still exist today. Unfortunately, there is no record of which specific Monet paintings were on the ship.
The loss of Monet's paintings is not the only artistic tragedy associated with the Titanic. Another notable work believed to have been lost is "La Circassienne au Bain" by Merry-Joseph Blondel. This painting, which belonged to Swedish businessman Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, was the most valuable single item on board the ship. It was an early 19th-century neoclassical oil painting, depicting a nude Circassian woman stepping into an elegant bath surrounded by dense foliage and fountains. Björnström-Steffansson survived the disaster and filed an insurance claim for the painting, which was estimated to be worth $100,000 at the time, equivalent to over $2 million in today's currency.
In addition to the lost paintings, a large drawing of a woman was also discovered on the ship. The artist is unknown, but the discovery of this drawing could be valuable in changing the world's understanding of the time. While the focus has been on the loss of art, it is important to remember that the Titanic story is significant primarily due to the immense loss of life.
The story of the Titanic continues to captivate people's imaginations, and the potential loss of Monet's paintings adds another layer of intrigue to its history. While we may never know the exact fate of these paintings, their disappearance serves as a reminder of the risks faced in the pursuit of artistic expression.
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There is no record of any famous paintings being on board the Titanic
While there is no record of famous paintings on board, it is known that a number of wealthy passengers were travelling on the Titanic, and they may have had paintings in their private collections. One such passenger was 29-year-old Swedish businessman Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, who was in possession of a painting by French Neoclassical master Merry-Joseph Blondel, titled 'La Circassienne au Bain'. This painting, which debuted in 1814 to limited fanfare, is believed to be the most valuable item lost in the sinking of the Titanic, with an estimated value of $100,000 at the time, equivalent to over $3 million today. Björnström-Steffansson survived the disaster and filed an insurance claim for the painting, which was the largest single article claim for either personal or commercial loss.
Another painting believed to have been lost in the Titanic's sinking is a signed portrait of Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi. The loss of artworks on the Titanic has captured the public imagination, with the story of the ship's demise in 1912 remaining one of the world's most famous shipwrecks. While it is difficult to know exactly which artworks were lost, it is believed that a significant amount of art was lost during the ship's journey.
The 1997 film 'Titanic' features a plotline involving a Picasso painting, specifically 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon', which was completed five years before the ship's maiden voyage. However, this inclusion was not sanctioned by Picasso's estate, and no paintings by Picasso were on board the real Titanic.
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A replica of Pablo Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon' was featured in the film 'Titanic'
The 1997 film 'Titanic' by James Cameron follows the story of the ship and its maiden voyage disaster through the eyes of socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet, and Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. In a deleted scene, Rose's maids are seen carrying her collection of modern art into her suite. One of the maids asks, "Who's the artist?" to which Rose replies, "Something Picasso". The painting in question is Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, created in 1907, five years before the Titanic set sail from Southampton and sank.
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon), originally titled The Brothel of Avignon, is a large oil painting portraying five nude female prostitutes in a brothel on Carrer d'Avinyó, a street in Barcelona, Spain. The figures are confrontational and not conventionally feminine, with angular and disjointed body shapes. The painting is considered one of the most famous examples of Cubism, with Picasso abandoning traditional form and representation. It is said to have been influenced by primitive art, including African art, ancient Iberian art, and Tahitian journals of Paul Gauguin.
The appearance of the painting in the film did not sit well with Picasso's estate, as they own the copyright to the image. The Artists Rights Society (ARS), which oversees the copyrights of Picasso's works, stated that the painting could not have gone down with the ship because it had been on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York for over 60 years at the time of the film's release. Despite this, Cameron used a replica of the painting in the film, leading to a settlement with the ARS.
The issue flared up again in 2012 when Cameron re-released the film in 3D. The Picasso estate and the ARS considered this a distinct, new work and requested that the painting not be used. Cameron paid a licensing fee to include the painting in the stateroom scene but replaced a shot of the painting sinking underwater with Edgar Degas's L'Étoile, which is in the public domain. While Les Demoiselles d'Avignon did not go down with the Titanic, other valuable paintings were lost in the disaster, including Merry-Joseph Blondel's La Circassienne au Bain.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, several paintings by Claude Monet were on board the ship, as part of a private collection belonging to American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim. There is also speculation that a Monet painting featured in the film 'Titanic' may have gone down with the ship, but this is disputed.
There is no record of which Monet paintings were lost on the Titanic.
Yes, a number of valuable paintings were lost, including Merry-Joseph Blondel's 'La Circassienne au Bain', which was the most valuable single item on board the ship, insured for $100,000 (approximately $3 million today).
