Panelling from the Brittanic – sister ship of Titanic – will come up at auction in Killenard, Co. Laois on May 1 and 2. Rediscovered after their use in a Dublin city-centre cinema until 1972, both the first-class lounge and the second-class library panels are expected to generate international interest at the sale by Niall Mullen antiques at The Heritage golf resort.
Britannic’s yard number, S-433, was one of the most significant identifying factors in these panels. The same number, 433, is to be the lot number for the panelling. Lot 433 is the second-class library, panelled and framed in maple, handsomely carved in a Colonial Adams-style design and includes a magnificent mahogany bar fronted with copper with a guiding price of €200,000 – €300,000. Lot 433a is the first-class lounge panelling, framed in richly carved polished oak and carved in Louis XV style, with a guiding price of €250,000 – €350,000.
They were designed by Arthur Durand, who was heavily involved in all three Olympic Class liners and who had also worked on the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Launched in 1914, the Britannic was intended to be superior to her twin the Titanic, which sank in 1912. During World War I the ship was requisitioned as a hospital ship and had the fittings removed. It hit a mine and sank in the Aegean Sea in 1916. The Britannic’s stored luxurious furniture and fittings were auctioned in Belfast in 1919.
The panels will come up on May 1 when the first 600 of 1,500 lots in total will come under the hammer. The sale will also include contents from the Merrion, Burlington and Shelbourne Hotels in Dublin, an Anglo Indian curiosity cabinet originally at Lissadell House, maritime lots and items from embassies in Dublin.
