Cunard caters to a more formal cliental so art needs to be striking, yet subtle. Therefore, extra care was put into designing and creating the main centerpiece on the ship; the almost 20ft panel in the Grand Lobby. It is what guests first see upon embarking on the ship and it needs to be special. So here it is:

(click for larger) Thats not on the ship by the way.

Here is what Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Peter Shanks (left in the above photo) said:

“We needed to fill that space with something which would not just be dramatic, a ‘wow’ factor in an area already full of ‘wow’, but which would also reflect our emphasis on traditional and sumptuous materials. After much thought and exploratory work, it was decided to commission a 5.6-metre (18 ft 6 in) high marquetry panel depicting the original Queen Elizabeth, an Art Deco icon, using a variety of natural woods from around the world. Once we had decided on the theme and the medium, it didn’t take us long to conclude that no-one was better qualified for this detailed but monumental work than the company of the exceptional craftsman David Linley, whose creative ability and mastery of wood is renowned”.

The 2 deck tall piece features real wood (not eco-friendly) of Madrona, Indian ebony, American walnut, grey ripple sycamore, burr ash, bird’s eye maple, satin walnut , ash, burr walnut and Macassar ebony.

Here is a super high res of it:

(click for larger)

Pics and Quotes from: http://wearecunard.com