My British pals generally won't know that much about Doris Duke. The Lucky Strike cigarette heiress, once deemed the richest woman in the USA, was born in New York on 22 November 1912 and died in Beverly Hills, California on 28 October 1993. In many ways a Renaissance figure, she used her fortune to endow academic and charitable institutions on a stunning scale but her wealth did not bring her true love. Surprise, surprise. I only started looking into her life recently when I found out about the upcoming auction of contents from her properties Duke Farms and Falcon Lair. For a quick introduction to an extraordinary life, Hugo Vickers' elegant obituary of Duke in The Independent will inform and entertain you.
The Auction catalogue is very mixed and I felt intrusive going through her possessions with a critical eye. From some very heavy undistinguished stuff to the sublime art deco screen that Emily Evans Eerdmans* was on to first, it seems her domestic taste was eclectic and sometimes uncertain. I imagine she was well advised on set pieces by decorators like Tony Duquette but she had all the money in the world and maybe not the vision one might have wished for in terms of decorating.
I am not saying that there aren't many desirable pieces in this section of the auction. Nor does it do justice to her collection of antiquarian books and Asian art which have already gone under the hammer and are catalogued separately by Millea Bros.
Here is my fantasy bidding list. I haven't got anywhere to put it all but I'd still like to get my hands on it!
Two of a set of 10 French side chairs in the manner of Serge Roche.First half 20th CenturyTres Dorothy Draper like the paint treatment and delicious curtains below
Thomas White Lamb (1871-1942, American), theatre curtains designed for The Hollywood Wing theatre at Duke Farm
Decorative throw pillows 20th Century
Deco chrome-plated armchairs attributed to Gilbert Rohde First half 20th Century
Steinway & Sons model-L grand piano No. 259723, circa 1927Something to put my photographs on
Pair old Venetian glass "Lily" wall sconces First half 20th Century, possibly VeniniThese are mad but I can't resist them
American Classical style carved mahogany sleigh bed 19th Century
"Strumenti Musicali" plates by Piero Fornasetti
Group of antique green majolica table articles 19th & 20th Centuries, English and Japanese examples
Antique Chinese camellia leaf green Yuhuchun Ping vase
Lacquer ware
From a pair Regency style pagoda-form window valences/pelmets
George III style hall lantern by S.C. Bishop & Co.
Antique Neo-Grec bronze and scagliola coffee table
silver-plated backplate with central cut star and scrolling arms hung with pendant drops
Antique Japanese patinated bronze hare Meiji Period
Hand-hammered gilt metal chandelier in the manner of Josef HoffmanAntique Dutch Delft tin-glazed pottery tile picture
Custom window treatment from Doris Duke's bedroom, Duke Farms 20th Century nickel-plated and glass/acrylic curtain rods and yellow silk curtain panel
Attributed to Boris Lovet-Lorski (1899-1973, American), painting First half 20th Century, three-panel floor screen
Custom Art Deco painted side table
Pair old Venetian glass "Lily" wall sconces First half 20th Century, possibly Venini
Japanese gilt bronze, enamel and white jade smoking set
Circle of Fausto Pirandello (1899-1975, Italian), painting
* Emily Evans Eerdmans writes one of my favourite blogs. She wears her (formidable) learning lightly so her posts are authoritative and entertaining. Her book Regency Redux is highly recommended.
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