Jean Dunand 'La Pêche' Panel

Jean Dunand's lacquer 'La Pêche' Panel was originally commisioned for the ship Normandie, a transatlantic ocean liner built in 1934 to sail from Le Havre to New York. The 313m long ship was the world's fastest in 1935 and its interior decoration was done by the world’s top French Art Deco artists. In this elaborate panel, Dunand conjures a fishing scene commonly depicted in the reliefs of ancient Egyptian tombs. Among the pleasures of an Egyptian noble's life were fishing excursions in the Nile Marshes. As two oarsmen propel the upper boat, a lookout in the stern shields his eyes, scoping the horizon for potential obstacles. In the lower boat, three men are shown pulling in a large fishing net replete with fish, whose silhouettes are rendered in such detail that their species can be determined. They include the bolti fish (Egyptian tilapia), elephant-nose fish, upside-down catfishes, and perch.