Auction Name: 2025 December 9 - 10 Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 38496

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/7433*38496

Titanic (TCF, 1997), Iconic Screen-Used Grand Staircase Cherub Fixture. Original fiberglass sculpture, expertly finished to resemble bronze, depicting a cherub with finely detailed wings and flowing drapery, holding a torch lamp in both hands while standing atop a cluster of rocks. Designed in the classical romantic style that defined the ship's opulent Edwardian naval architecture, this figure served as a striking decorative element on RMS Titanic's First-Class Grand Staircase - among the film's most ambitious and enduring set pieces. Under the direction of James Cameron, the Titanic art department meticulously recreated the ship's interiors with unprecedented accuracy, drawing direct inspiration from Titanic's sister ship, RMS Olympic, which featured an almost identical bronze cherub banister lamp at the base of its staircase. In Cameron's film, the cherub became a visual and emotional anchor, appearing in pivotal scenes that chart the story's journey from romance to tragedy. The Grand Staircase - framed by the cherub's illuminated torch - is where Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) first meet formally, where the drama of class and fate unfolds, and where the film's most haunting moments converge.

This cherub figure was crafted with internal metal reinforcement and is securely mounted to a stained wooden base with two large internal bolts affixed to the underside. The torch lamp retains its internal wiring and screw-bulb socket and features a frosted flame-motif glass shade, replaced after production when the original was damaged during the climactic flooding of the Grand Staircase set - a sequence involving over 90,000 gallons of water. Measures 68" x 28" x 18". Exhibits expected signs of production use and age, including surface scuffs, scratches, and finish wear. The internal wiring has been concealed within the sculpture and may have been cut post-production. Evidence of minor repair is visible at both wrists where they attach to the torch lamp and 1.25" separation of left hand from the torch and cracking around base of torch. The high-gloss finish has softened over time, lending a patina consistent with its screen use and subsequent exhibition history. Acquired directly from Twentieth Century Fox, this Grand Staircase Cherub was a key highlight featured in the Titanic Official Movie Tour, produced by SEE Global Entertainment, which debuted in London in 1999 and has since showcased both screen-used and faithfully recreated set pieces, costumes, and props from the Academy Award-winning epic. A remarkable, screen-used fixture from one of cinema's most unforgettable sets - a tangible symbol of the artistry, grandeur, and emotion that define Titanic. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

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