The RMS Titanic Inc. managed to photograph thought lost for decades on their first expedition to the famous 112-year-old sunken wreck since 2010, The Associated Press (AP) reported Monday.
The statue “Diana of Versailles” that the expedition photographed was last seen in 1986, the outlet reported. The Georgia-based company behind the expedition owns the rights to the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
The expedition spent 20 days at the wreck to fully map it and took over 2 million high resolution photographs before heading back Providence, Rhode Island on Aug. 9, the AP reported. (RELATED: US Government Working To Stop Planned Titanic Expedition)
The company posted the recent photo of the statue covered in sand on the bottom of the ocean Sunday and compared it to a photo of a statue taken when the ship was still seaworthy. “Much of TITANIC’s fine art was made of organic materials, breaking down into the earth after many decades submerged in the hostile environment of the North Atlantic,” RMS Titanic, Inc. tweeted.
Fine art decorated the halls and rooms throughout #TITANIC, but beauty is a delicate thing. Much of TITANIC’s fine art was made of organic materials, breaking down into the earth after many decades submerged in the hostile environment of the #NorthAtlantic. pic.twitter.com/zVauzPWDTq
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 1, 2024
The “Diana of Versailles” statue “is a roughly 2-foot-tall bronze statue based on the original sculpture on display at the Louvre” of the Roman goddess, the company noted. Diana was goddess of the hunt and wild animals, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
But some art was built to stand the test of time, like the Roman goddess Diana who sat atop the fireplace mantle in the First Class Lounge. “Diana of Versailles” is a roughly 2-foot-tall bronze statue based on the original sculpture on display at the Louvre.
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 1, 2024
The company also released video footage from the expedition that noted the changes in the wreckage site like “the loss of a 15-foot section of railing from the port side bow.”
The latest scans and images of #TITANIC reveal many changes to the wrecksite and provide insight into how the great liner is deteriorating. A notable change is the loss of a 15-foot section of railing from the port side bow. pic.twitter.com/HxbLQ2S5R8
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 2, 2024
The company claimed that railing had remained there as recently as 2022, the AP reported.
“The discovery of the statue of Diana was an exciting moment. But we are saddened by the loss of the iconic Bow railing and other evidence of decay which has only strengthened our commitment to preserving Titanic’s legacy,” Tomasina Ray, director of collections for RMS Titanic, reportedly said.
