Sotheby's Sale of Kennedy Family Property Totals $5,538,040

NEW YORK CITY

:When the hammer fell on the fifth and final session of property from Kennedy family homes on February 17, the grand total was $5,538,040 and every single lot found a buyer.

The top lot of the sale, achieved on the final morning's session, was a Chippendale-style maple bombé slant front secretary bookcase inlaid with the initials JFK and a version of the United States seal, which sold for $452,800, against a presale estimate of $6/8,000. It was purchased by international gem dealer Glenn Spiro, bidding over the phone from London, who bought it on behalf of international collector Iris Smith.

Another highlight of the three-day sale was a portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy with Caroline and John Jr by Aaron Shikler, the artist initially engaged by Jacqueline Kennedy to paint portraits of her children in 1968, which brought $216,000, more than 18 times the high estimate of $12,000. It was purchased by Philip Nimmo, who works for an architectural and interior design firm in Los Angeles. Mr Nimmo was bidding on the lot for a Los Angeles client who has collected the artist's work in the past and had purchased a Shikler portrait of Mrs Kennedy in Sotheby's 1996 sale of the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

New Yorker Frank Harvey, a longtime Kennedy collector who attended the 1996 Kennedy sale, was the purchaser of Mr Shikler's oil on panel "Jacqueline Kennedy with John Jr and Caroline in a Treehouse," which achieved $27,000. Originally from Hou-ston, he worked on the election campaign for Kennedy from 1959 to 60, walking the precincts and passing out literature. Mr Harvey was also the successful bidder of Mr Shikler's "Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a Sailboat," a tiny painting that sold for $27,000, as well as "Breaking Light, Gayhead, Martha's Vineyard" by Allen Whiting, which brought $6,600, among other items.

A turned oak and brown-painted rocking armchair, North Carolina, Twentieth Century, which sold for $96,000, was bought by Lucio Zagari, a Neapolitan ship owner and a great admirer of President and Mrs Kennedy. Mr Zagari, who was bidding on the phone from London and has homes in London and in Sorrento, plans on keeping the chair in his summer home in Sorrento. He described the auction as "one of the most exciting days of my life."

Rocking chairs had been present in all of the Kennedy homes as they had been recommended to ease the president's severe back pain. During his presidency, these chairs, which were known as "Kennedy" rockers, were in various locations, including The White House, Hyannis Port, Hammersmith Farm in Newport, the presidential yacht the Honey Fitz and his parents' home in Palm Beach, Fla.

Joanne Cole of Baltimore was successful on several equestrian items, including a padded dark blue turn-out rug bearing the monogram "JKO," which sold for $9,000; a padded blue cotton cooler monogrammed "JKO," $9,000; a brass-mounted riding crop inscribed "Caroline," $6,600; and an aluminum-trimmed blue acrylic tack chest that bears Mrs Onassis's monogram and sold for $39,000.

"I've always admired Mrs Kennedy, especially for her love of horses," said Mrs Cole, who as a rider herself, noted, "This has provided me with such a connection to her over the years, and now it is so wonderful to have an association with her that is so real. My horse, Louise, will be modeling these blankets, and I'm looking forward to finding just the right place for the tack trunk so everyone can enjoy it."

The sale included three works by William Walton of Jacksonville, Ill., an artist who was a close friend of the Kennedys and a pivotal figure in the President's victories in Wisconsin and West Virginia. "Old State," a pen and ink sketch of an estate, inscribed on the reverse, "For Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy from William Walton, May 29, 1963," sold for $9,000; "Statue of Andrew Jackson on Horseback," inscribed on the reverse, "Andrew Jackson saluting JFK on his 46th birthday," brought $13,200; and "The Benign Sign for JBK," sold for $7,800, were all purchased by Connie and Vernon Massey of Jacksonville.

The Masseys noted that they bought the works by Walton because of "the connection between President Kennedy and Jacksonville, Ill.," the hometown they share with the artist. The Masseys also attended Sotheby's 1996 sale of the estate of Mrs Onassis, where they purchased "A Political Rally," also by William Walton.

A watercolor by American artist Ogden Pleissner (1905-1983) called "The Breakwater" sold for $37,200. The painting, which had been estimated to sell for $8/12,000, was presented to the Kennedy family by the "Hyannis Port Neighbors" in 1965 in memory of John F. Kennedy. Another work that sparked competitive bidding was the "Portrait of Captain Platt out of Portsmouth, with a Clipper Ship in the Distance," attributed to Frederick Mayhew, circa 1830, which sold for $51,000. The iconic work hung behind President Kennedy in an official portrait, which subsequently appeared on the cover of the November 16, 1960, issue of Time magazine. It was purchased by a prominent Democratic fundraiser bidding over the telephone.

A highlight from the second day of bidding in the Kennedy auction was a painting by Jacqueline Duhême titled "Resting Up, London. March 26, 1962," which depicts Mrs Kennedy sleeping in brightly colored floral Porthault linens and was purchased by Mr and Mrs Bernard J. Carl for the D. Porthault Historical Collection for $21,600. Duhême painted a series of charming, miniature pictures of the trip President and Mrs Kennedy took to Paris in 1961 and accompanied the First Lady and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill, when they traveled to India and Pakistan in 1962.

A charming English needlework panel depicting a "Spaniel Reclining on a Cushion" inspired intense bidding and brought $39,000. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the purchaser noted, "I had not planned to bid on anything in the sale, but it was love at first sight. The more I thought about the needlework spaniel, the more I loved it. It has a universal charm and, of course, a wonderful provenance."

Skippy Weinstein, a trial lawyer from Morristown, N.J., bought a red wool flannel blanket with applied black monogram JFK for $18,000. In 1963-65, Mr Weinstein worked as an assistant in the Washington, D.C., office of Senator Harrison Williams, a Democrat from New Jersey. Mr Weinstein said that he bought the lot because he had admired John F. Kennedy very much and felt that the blanket "contained a lot of elements of history."

Jonathan Greenstein of Vancouver, British Columbia, came to the sale on behalf of an online casino. He purchased a group of 14 molded-glass articles, including four tumblers bearing the Hyannisport Club emblem for $1,000; a Victorian style white-painted card table for $3,250; and two trays, an ice bucket, a glass bowl, together with salt and pepper shakers for $2,750. Mr Greenstein explained that he bought the items for their associational value for promotion of the online business.

One of the lowest estimated lots in the sale, a charming cast iron painted flower-filled basket form doorstop from the Kennedy's Hyannis Port home, which was estimated to sell for $60/80, was purchased by Melinda Cogen, a collector from New York, for $4,800, more than 60 times the high estimate.

Prices include buyer's premium. For information, 212-606-70000 or Sothebys.com.