Vintage Cast Iron Transatlantique Ocean Liner Doorstop in Navy and Blue

Seen head on with her bow slicing through the waves, this ocean liner looks ready to sail straight out of your hallway and across the Atlantic. Her navy hull rises to rows of round white portholes and a single funnel, and the word Transatlantique is cast in a banner across the base, just in case anyone was unsure where she is heading.

She is solid cast iron and painted by hand in deep navy, with white portholes, twin white bands around the hull, and waves in two shades of blue tipped with pale foam. The base is black, with the lettering raised on a blue banner. The back is painted cream and has a flat tab that slides under the door to keep it in place. She measures 8cm by 11cm by 5cm, tall and slim, so she suits a narrow spot where a chunkier doorstop would not fit.

The design is pure Art Deco. Transatlantique was the familiar name of the French Line, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, whose great liners sailed between Le Havre and New York, and this bow on view calls to mind A. M. Cassandre's celebrated 1935 poster for the Normandie, one of the most famous images of the golden age of ocean travel.

She is in very good condition, with crisp, clean colours on the front. There are a few tiny chips at the corners of the base and one by the bow, and some wear and spots of rust on the cream back and the tab.

Stand her by the front door of anyone who loves to travel, in a study beside a stack of old atlases and guidebooks, or on a shelf with other nautical pieces. She makes a lovely present for sailors, Art Deco enthusiasts, or anyone who has ever dreamt of crossing the Atlantic in style.