: Named by the public "the richest girl in the world," the young
Doris Duke became a dedicated philanthropist and a knowledgeable,
aesthetically sophisticated and passionate collector of art and
decorative objects.
She created The Duke Treasure Houses, a series of collections and
the theme for a special exhibition at Rough Point in 2004.
Visitors to the exhibit will see treasures from the four corners
of the world, from students of Rembrandt to a life-sized silver
swan.
"Having the luxury of choosing from collections of such diversity
has created the opportunity to create an exhibit of special and
incredible objects," said Pieter Roos, the executive director of
the Newport Restoration Foundation, which owns and operates Rough
Point. Artifacts in the exhibit include Seventeenth Century Dutch
artist Ferdinand Bol's portrait of a "Lady in Pearls," Persian
carpets, Newport furniture and more.
Although her house at Rough Point contains a rich variety of
different collections, the exhibit draws from all of her houses:
her home in Honolulu, at Duke Farms in New Jersey and Rough
Point.
Masterpiece examples of her Newport collections, heirloom pieces
and collections of Eastern and Western art will be featured in
the exhibition at Rough Point. Three famille verte jars will
represent a huge variety of Chinese porcelains. Tiffany & Co
created a large silver swan in 1874 that was a centerpiece of its
display at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and has
now become an icon of the silver that belonged to Doris Duke. One
of a pair of ivory and silver tables made in Eighteenth Century
Russia is an exotic piece, even in these collections, and
probably came from the palace of Catherine the Great. A silver
mounted saddle made in California for her second husband is a
wonderful example of what were known as parade saddles that were
owned by all the Hollywood cowboys.
Doris Duke assembled the largest collection of Newport furniture
in Rhode Island and housed it in the Samuel Whitehorne House, a
restored Federal-style house in downtown Newport that opened in
1975. In recent years it has become more widely recognized for
stellar pieces of furniture, such as the highboy made by Benjamin
Baker and side chair by the master John Townsend, all of which
will be seen in "The Duke Treasure Houses."
Visitors to Rough Point will be able to view "The Duke Treasure
Houses" as part of the regular house tour. The exhibition will
remain in place at Rough Point through November 6. Tour tickets
may be ordered online at www.Newportrestoration.org or purchased
at The Newport Gateway/Visitors Center, 23 America's Cup Avenue.
Guided house tours last approximately one hour. Rough Point staff
advises visitors to allow a bit more time to view this year's
special exhibit. Tours are leisurely and limited in size for the
enjoyment of visitors who are truly guests in the vast spaces of
this Gilded Age mansion.
Through May 14 tours will be offered on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday. A Rough Point courtesy van will depart the Newport
Gateway/Visitor's Center at 23 American's Cup Avenue at 10 and 11
am, 1 and 2 pm. The courtesy van will take visitors directly to
Rough Point and back to the Gateway/Visitor's Center. Also
available are two drive-on tours a day, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, which may only be reserved in advance online at
www.newportrestoration.org.
From May 15 to November 6 tours will be offered Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the van leaving
every 20 minutes from 10 am to 2:40 pm. Please note that there
will be no bus leaving at noon or 1 pm. There will be six
drive-on tours a day, Tuesday through Saturday that can only be
reserved in advance online.
The $25 ticket price includes the house tour as well as the
special exhibit. All tickets, except online reservations, are
available at the Newport Gateway/Visitor's Center. For ticket
information, call 401-845-9130.
For general information on Rough Point, online sales, group
sales or any other of Newport Restoration Foundation properties,
call 401-849-7300.
