Incres Lines VICTORIA was the cruise ship of millionaires when she debuted in 1959. While her hull and part of her superstructure were the remains of the sturdy DUNNOTTAR CASTLE combi-liner of 1936, the vastly rebuilt vessel was one of sleekest on the high seas.  Internally, she was ultra modern, spacious and chic.  Her architect and interior designer, Gustavo Pulitzer-Finale, was a rival of Gio Ponti’s and while probably not as well known today, very much Ponti’s equal.

 

These chairs came from VICTORIA’s forward El Patio Lounge and lasted through the ship’s latter day incarnations for Chandris and Louis Cruises until finally being offloaded at the scrapping beach of Alang, India in 2004.  I purchased about fifty and all they had all since sold out, or so I thought until my most recent container yielded the last fifteen of these beauties (which had been hidden behind some machinery in their Indian storage space).  They will of course need new upholstery but the structure, shape and style are as good as ever.  Very similar or identical chairs were found on other great Italian-designed liners over the years, including the LEONARDO DA VINCI, GALILEO GALILEI and GUGLIEMO MARCONI.

 

I am offering these Cassina classics at a bargain price and would recommend that they be restored in velvet or velour.