Long-Lost Diana of Versailles Statue Sank with the Titanic–But Was Just Found on the Ocean Floor

nnA two-foot-tall bronze statue of the Greek goddess Diana that once adorned the fireplace mantle onboard the Titanic was found during a recent expedition.nnDescribed as like finding “a needle in a haystack,” it was one of a variety of fine art pieces that have for years been the targets of maritime archaeologists working to recover the ship’s relics.nn

nnThe RMS Titanic will likely never stop fascinating people. The ‘unsinkable’ luxury liner that carried the high society of England over to the US on its tragic first voyage was, as Art Net recently described, “a a floating gallery of fine art and design.”nnPhotographs and written sources from the ship show how it was filled with art, from a 1912 Renault luxury automobile to this bronze statue known as the Diana of Versailles.nnCast based on an original piece kept in the Louvre from the Versailles Palace, it’s known to have been placed atop a fireplace mantle from a photograph taken onboard the ship.nnThe Georgia company RMS Titanic which conducts expeditions to document, monitor, and recover the relics of the ship recently finished an unmanned expedition to the site in the North Sea where the ship went down. There, half-buried in the mud, they found the goddess without a speck of green to be seen on her flowing gown.nn

nn“It’s truly a needle in a haystack that is two-and-a-half miles underwater in pitch black darkness,” James Penca, a researcher at the company told National Public Radio, adding that “we found her with just hours remaining in the expedition.”nnALSO CHECK OUT: Experts Begin Hunt for Most Valuable British Shipwreck in History, and the Gold Worth 4 Billionnn“There were a lot of tears in the room for a lot of us,” said Penca, “even the people who’ve been there before.”nnShe’s depicted wielding a club over her right shoulder, with a rampant stag standing against her left leg.nnMORE UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY: Greece Opens World’s First Underwater Museum Around a 2,400-Year-old ShipwrecknnWhile RMS Titanic leaves some pieces in situ, others they attempt to collect through expeditions, and the Diana of Versailles will certainly top the list when the company gets around to going back.nnSHARE The Amazing Discovery Of This Relic With Your Friends…