Origin of Name :-
Doris Duke's Pearl Bracelets refer to a collection of
six bracelets in which pearls were used as the main component, among
the 399-piece jewelry collection of the renowned tobacco heiress, her
personal jewelry, some of which were family heirlooms inherited from her
grandmother and mother and others which she purchased herself from well
known jewelers in New York and Paris, or during her trips around the
world, beginning with the honeymoon tour around the world in 1935, after she
married James Cromwell. Even though Doris Duke was renowned as an art
collector putting together her well known Asian and Islamic art
collections, that was the result of a passion for collecting such works,
induced during her honeymoon tour to Asia and the Fareast, her jewelry
collection was not a result of a deliberate attempt to assemble a
collection of artistic and historic value, but rather an "unintentional
collection," partly inherited and partly acquired by her to suit her own
personal tastes, as well as in keeping with the fashion trends of the
time. In fact Doris Duke herself did not consider her jewelry as a "collection" at all, but something without scholarly, artistic or
historical interest, containing pieces that she liked and wore quite
often or had intimate personal meaning from important moments in her
life. However there is no denying of the fact that her jewelry
collection is a reflection of her. own changing taste during her life
time as well as changing taste in jewelry fashions from the 1850s to the
end of the 20th century.
List of names by
which the pearl bracelets are identified
The list of names by which the pearl bracelets in the
Doris Duke's collection are identified are as follows :-
1) A pair of pearl and diamond bracelets worn
together on one wrist.
2) A pearl bracelet with a central octagonal-shaped
diamond.
3) Ceylon sapphire, pearl and diamond bracelet.
4) Pearl bracelet with a rectangular centerpiece
studded with diamonds.
5) Cabochon emerald, pearl and diamond bracelet.
1) A pair of pearl
and diamond bracelets worn together on one wrist
A pair of pearl and diamond bracelets that was
purchased by Nanaline Duke, the mother of Doris Duke in 1930, but later
inherited by Doris
and also worn by her shows a combination of two stylistic generations.
The soft graduated strands of fine pearls is a reflection of the
early-twentieth century fashion trends for multi-strand pearl dog collars
and bracelets. This period is also known as the Art Nouveau period
(1890-1915) or the Belle Epoque period (1901-1915). The drum-shaped
clasps of the bracelets with baguette cut diamonds, belong to a
subsequent period known as the Art
Deco period. In the 1930s Nanaline Duke wore both bracelets together on
one wrist as was the fashion during that period. Even Doris Duke wore
them together in a similar manner, when she was photographed by Cecil
Beaton.
Pair of pearl and diamond bracelets worn together on
one wrist.
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The pair of bracelets are exactly similar in design,
even though one is slightly smaller than the other in length. The longer
bracelet has a length of 6.5 ins (16.5 cm). Each of the bracelets are
made up of five graduated pearl strands, with the pearls arranged
symmetrically, larger pearls being placed at the center of the bracelet,
gradually decreasing in size towards both ends of the bracelet. The
clasps and the end pieces of the bracelets are made up of platinum. The
perfect spherical shapes of the pearls and the uniformity in sizes seem
to suggest that the pearls may be cultured Mikimoto pearls. It was in
the 1930s that cultured Mikimoto pearls from Japan first appeared in
large quantities in the international pearl markets.
Cecil Beaton's photograph of Doris Duke
2) A pearl bracelet
with a central octagonal-shaped diamond
This piece made up of pearls, diamonds and platinum
was purchased by Nanaline Duke in the 1920s from Cartier's of New York.
The bracelet has a central diamond plaque set with an octagonal-shaped
large diamond. Six strands of pearls arise on either side of the central
diamond plaque and extend towards the ends of the bracelet. All metallic
components in the bracelet are made up of platinum. The
rectangular-shaped metallic components on either side of the central
diamond plaque, and the rectangular-shaped clasp, are studded with small
diamonds. The design
is a modification of the multistrand pearl choker necklace from the turn of the century
during the Belle Epoque period. The length of the bracelet is 6.5 ins
(16.5 cm).
Pearl bracelet with central octagonal shaped diamond
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
3) Ceylon sapphire,
pearl and diamond bracelet
The bracelet, also a modification of the multistrand
pearl choker necklace of the Belle Epoque period as the previous two
bracelets, was designed by Cartier, New York, and purchased by James B.
Duke in 1925, the year of his death. James B. Duke is said to have
lavished gifts of jewelry on his wife Nanaline Duke, throughout their
married life, and right up to his death in 1925. The stones required for
the bracelet, blue sapphires, diamonds, and pearls, including the large
35.54-carat, octagonal-shaped Ceylon blue sapphire, was provided by
James B. Duke to the jewelry firm Cartier, and the job was completed by
the firm and delivered before his death in 1925. However, the firm was
paid the sum of $5,630, being the cost of workmanship and platinum
only on November 8, 1925, after the death of James B. Duke.
Sketch by Cartier of the design for the proposed
bracelet incorporating the Ceylon blue sapphire
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
According to a sketch of the design of the bracelet
made by Cartier, the centerpiece of the bracelet, is occupied by the
large, octagonal-shaped, Ceylon blue sapphire. The two rectangular
platinum rings on either side of the central blue sapphire, are also
studded with smaller blue sapphires, and so also is the rectangular
ring-shaped clasp. Other rectangular platinum components, that serve as
end pieces between which the six strands of pearls are situated, on
either side of the central blue sapphire, seem to be studded with
diamonds.
The 35.54 carat Ceylon sapphire, pearl and diamond
bracelet
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
However, the actual bracelet turned out by Cartier
using this design, show the centerpiece occupied by the 35.54-carat,
octagonal-shaped, Ceylon blue sapphire, with two rectangular-shaped
platinum rings on either side studded with diamonds. The
rectangular-shaped clasp is also studded with diamonds. The end pieces
to which the six strands of Persian Gulf pearls are attached appear to
be enameled platinum. The pearls are spherical, white and lustrous, and
appear to be of uniform size. The 35.54-carat Ceylon sapphire is the
only large colored stone in Nanaline's collection of jewels. Cartier was
famous for jewelry set with colored stones in the 1920s, and this fame
is evident only from this single blue sapphire bracelet in
Nanaline's collection.
4) Pearl bracelet
with a rectangular centerpiece studded with diamonds
The exquisitely crafted pearl and diamond bracelet in
the photograph below, is also one of the pieces from the Doris Dukes
jewelry collection, but it is not known when and by whom it was
purchased. But given the fact that the design of the bracelet is
essentially similar to the designs of the bracelets already considered,
it appears to be a piece from the 1920s or 1930s. The piece like the
other bracelets was perhaps purchased by Nanaline Duke and later
inherited by Doris Duke.
Pearl bracelet with rectangular centerpiece studded
with diamonds
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The bracelet has a rectangular centerpiece studded
with diamonds, following a geometrical pattern, with a central square
and two triangles on either side. The end pieces and the clasp are also
studded with diamonds. The eight rows of large spherical pearls between
the centerpiece and the end pieces on either side, contain 16 pearls in
each row. Between two rows of large spherical pearls 7 or 8 small
spherical pearls are placed alternately with a gap, to produce a lattice
work of large and small pearls, with 11 diagonal rows in both
directions, of large and small pearls alternating one another.
5) Cabochon emerald,
pearl and diamond bracelet
This bracelet was designed by Cartier, New York, and
purchased by Doris Duke on December 31, 1934. The bracelet which is 6.5
ins (16.5 cm) long, has a central almost circular plaque as its
centerpiece, inside which cabochon emeralds are arranged according to a
pattern. At the exact center of the plaque is a circular cabochon
emerald, surrounded by eight oval-shaped cabochon emeralds placed along
the eight cardinal points. Twenty cabochon emeralds are placed in a
circle along the periphery of the plaque. These emeralds are rectangular
or barrel-shaped, and are arranged alternately, with the long axis of
the barrel parallel to or perpendicular to the periphery. Another eight
barrel-shaped but smaller emeralds are arranged with their long axis
parallel to the periphery, and placed between the outer and inner circle
of emeralds, at positions between the oval-shaped emeralds that were
placed along the cardinal points. A single extra emerald is placed at
the two elevated points where the two semi-circles of the plaque meet,
and from which two lotus flower designs arise on either side of the
plaque, from which the two arms of the bracelet originate. Thus there
are altogether 39 cabochon emeralds inside the central plaque of the
bracelet.
Cabochon emerald, pearl and diamond bracelet.
©
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The periphery of the plaque is lined by a single
layer of small diamonds. The lotus flowers on either side are also
studded with diamonds. Four short strands of pearls, each containing
four white spherical pearls, arise from each of the lotus flowers on
either side and are joined to the end pieces of the bracelet. The
outermost strands of pearls on either side arise from a perfectly
spherical cabochon emerald placed above the lotus flower petals. The end
pieces and the rectangular clasp are also studded with diamonds.
In designing the cabochon emerald, pearl and diamond
brooch in 1934, Cartier was undoubtedly inspired by Indian themes as
evident from the lotus flower designs he incorporated into the brooch.
Emeralds were a popular gemstone in India since the time of the Mughals
in the 16th century, when large quantities of emeralds from Colombia
reached the Indian shores via Madrid, in Spain. Doris Duke developed a
liking towards these brilliant green stones and she purchased two
emerald bead necklaces incorporating emeralds of the highest quality
during her trip to India in 1935. One necklace was a single strand bead
necklace incorporating emeralds with a total weight of approximately 120
carats. The other necklace was a double strand bead necklace whose
emeralds weighed approximately 280 carats.
Jewelry styles of the
Belle Epoque period - The multi-strand bracelets are actually a
modification of the multi-strand pearl choker of the Belle Epoque
period.
"Bello Epoque" meaning "beautiful time" in French
refers to the Edwardian period, the reign of Edward VII of England
(1901-1910), that followed immediately after the long mourning period of
Queen Victoria, that started with the death of her husband Prince Albert
in 1861 and ended with her death in 1901. The succession of Edward VII
to the throne in 1901, was the beginning of an era of elegance,
frivolity and fun, a period that led to the upper and middle classes
acquiring new wealth, and jewelry of new styles and designs becoming
very popular. The period was also an eventful period, coinciding with
the period the automobile, the airplane and the movie industries were
born. The "Belle Epoque" period continued after the death of King Edward
VII in 1910, until the onset of World War I.
Jewelry styles of the "Belle Epoque" period were
light and delicate. Platinum was introduced as the principal metal in
jewelry manufacture, which enabled the production of lightweight
designs. Invisible settings that made use of minimum of metal to hold
gemstones were created. Diamonds and pearls set in platinum were
favored, because of the white on white color scheme. The platinum
enhanced the radiance of diamonds and pearls. The cuts employed for
diamonds were the rose-cut and old mine-cut or European-cut. Multistrand
pearl chokers were popular and worn in combination with long strands of
pearls. Most of the pearl bracelets in Doris Duke's collection are a
modification of the multistrand pearl choker necklace of this period.
The most popular colored stones of the period are
sapphire, peridot, chrysoberyl and amethyst. Edward VII's good luck
stone was the peridot, and thus jewelry set with peridot became popular
during this period. Queen Alexandra's favorite stone was the Amethyst,
which was often included in the jewelry of this period. Jewelry of the
period were decorated with openwork garland, lace tassel and bow motifs.
Necklaces with lavaliere and negligee pendants were widely used. The
negligee pendant, consisted of two drops of unequal length suspended
from a centerpiece. Circle, star and crescent brooches, and bar pins
with lacy filigree designs were very fashionable.
Doris Duke - A short
biography
Doris Duke
christened by newspapers as "the richest little girl in the world" at
the time of her birth in 1912
Born on November 22, 1912, in New York City, Doris
Duke was the only child of tobacco and energy tycoon James Buchanan Duke
and his second wife Nanaline Holt Inman, the widow of Dr. William
Patterson Inman. At the time of her birth, the newspapers christened her
"the richest little girl in the world," born into one of the wealthiest
families in America.
The history of the
Duke's family fortune
The Duke's family fortune was built on a successful
business, based on tobacco farming and processing in North Carolina,
started by Washington Duke, Doris Duke's grandfather, soon after the
civil war ended. The thriving business was inherited after Washington's
death by his two sons, Benjamin and James Buchanan Duke, who through
their business acumen developed it into a powerful monopoly known as the
American Tobacco Company in 1890. Based on the success of this venture,
James B. Duke set up another successful venture, dealing in the
generation and supply of electricity, known as Duke Power. Both
businesses were based in North Carolina, but the headquarters of the
company was based in New York, from where James Duke transacted most of
his business.
"Duke Farms" where
Doris spent her early childhood
Doris became the darling of her father, who offered
her the best that he could provide. She was educated by private tutors
at home. Duke spent her early childhood at Duke Farms, the 2,700 acre
estate at Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, that belonged to her
father, consisting of forests, fields and ponds, most of which were
created according to James' own plans. Doris adored Duke Farms
throughout her life, which she identified as her home and principal
residence, and where she had her offices that managed her business affairs
and personal finances.
The acquisition of
the Rough Point summer residence at Newport, Rhode Island in 1921
On the contrary, her mother Nanaline Duke, hated
the New Jersey estate, and persuaded her husband to invest on a new
property at Newport, Rhode Island, which he eventually did in 1921, when
he purchased the 115-room English manor-style mansion, the former home
of Frederick Vanderbilt at Rough Point, set on nine acres of beautiful
waterfront property. After alterations and renovations which were
completed in 1924, the mansion became the summer home of the Duke
family. James B. Duke spent only two summers in his new residence after
its completion.
Doris Duke
James B. Duke's
death in October 1925 devastates the young child
He fell ill with pneumonia during the winter of 1925,
and died on October 10th of the same year. Doris, who was just 12 years
old at that time, and very close to her father, was devastated by
his sudden death. It is said that on his death bed James cautioned her
to "trust no one," a piece of fatherly advice that kept resonating in
her mind, and which she seems to have followed throughout her life.
Perhaps, it was this advice that made Doris who was just 14 years old,
to sue her mother, to successfully prevent her from selling "Duke Farms"
her father's estate in New Jersey.
The bulk of the
Duke fortune is inherited by Doris Duke, making her one of the richest
women in the world.
At the time of his death, James B. Duke left the bulk
of his fortune to his 12-year old daughter, Doris Duke. He left only a
modest trust fund to his wife Nanaline Duke, which subsequently caused
strains in their relationship. A substantial part of the fortune was
also left for the "Duke Endowment." In 1993 at the time of her death, 68
years after she first inherited her fortune, her legacy had grown to
over a billion dollars.
Doris Duke was
brought up at the town house in New York City, and spent her summer
holidays at Rough Point
After the death of her father, Doris Duke was brought
up in her father's New York City residence, at the corner of Fifth
Avenue and 78th Street, which subsequently became the home of the New
York University's Institute of Fine Arts. At New York she continued to
receive private tutoring. Later Doris wanted to attend college to
further her education, but her plans were vetoed by her mother, who
instead opted to take her daughter on a tour of Europe, where Doris was
presented as a debutante in London. Doris spent her summers at "Rough
Point" and during this period struck up a close friendship with Aletta
Morris, with whom she took part in many activities such as playing
tennis and other games, going for outings, including lengthy visits to
the private beach known as Bailey's Beach.
Doris Duke's
marriage and around-the-world honeymoon tour that radically changed her
perception of the world and induced a passion for collecting artworks
from eastern cultures
In the year 1935, at the age of 22 years, Doris Duke
stunned the entire world, when she married an aspiring politician, James
Cromwell, who was 16 years her senior. Soon after the marriage the
couple embarked on a round-the-world honeymoon tour that lasted more
than two years. During this tour she visited countries in North Africa
and Asia, such as Egypt, the Middle eastern countries, India, Singapore, Thailand,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China and Japan, for the first time.
These travels afforded her the opportunity to explore cultures and
lifestyles entirely different to those in which she had grown up.
What she saw in these countries had a profound impact on her for the
rest of her life, and induced in her an admiration for the cultures of
Asia and the Islamic World, that led to a passion for collecting works
of art from Southeast Asia and the Islamic World, which required
perpetual traveling to these lands. During her honeymoon trip she
initiated both her collections of art from Southeast Asia and the
Islamic World, by making significant purchases. During this trip she
also began collecting jewelry from these cultures, particularly from
India, whose designs in jewelry crafting had heavily influenced western
jewelry designs since ancient times.,
Doris Duke's
Southeast Asian art collection
Even though Doris Duke might have made some purchases
of Southeast Asian art objects during her 1935 honeymoon trip, such
artworks became the major focus of her collection effort only after she
visited Thailand in 1957, for the first time since her honeymoon trip in
1935. Over the next few years she initiated an ambitious project known
as the "Thai Village Project" with a view of educating the American
public about the immensely rich Southeast Asian art and culture. The
project envisaged the re-creation and furnishing of a Thai village,
complete with a replica of a pavilion from the temple compound of the
Royal Palace in Bangkok, and was intended to be a gift to the people of
Hawaii, complementing the already established home for her vast
collection of Islamic Art at "Shangri La" also in Hawaii. In order
to actualize her dream concept, Doris Duke, in her characteristic
passionate way began assembling works of art from Thailand, Burma,
Cambodia and China. She succeeded in putting together a collection of
over 2,000 works of art from Southeast Asia, that included sculptures,
paintings, decorative arts etc. Some of the art objects in the
collection, include tall elaborately carved pulpits from which Buddhist
priests preach "bana" on the life of the Buddha and virtues of Buddhism;
folded Buddhist manuscripts and their decorated storage boxes; tall
cabinets used for manuscript storage; offering vessels inlaid with
mother-of-pearl, "bencharong ceramics" made in China; carved ivory
objects; and weapons. Unfortunately, her dream concept of the "Thai
Village" never took off the ground, due to obstacles faced in securing
an appropriate site for the project in Hawaii. Thus the entire
collection of Southeast Asian artworks was kept in storage at her New
Jersey estate, and remained so until her death in 1993. The Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation which took over the management and control of all
her assets after her death, decided to donate most of the Southeast
Asian art objects to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the
Walters Art Museum of Baltimore, in order to honor Doris Duke's
intention of educating the American public about Southeast Asian art and
culture.
Doris Duke's Islamic
Art Collection
Doris Duke was an avid collector who amassed an
extraordinary collection of art objects from the Islamic world and
Southeast Asia, and also an array of magnificent jewelry, fine and rare
wines and French and English furniture. But her primary interest appears
to have been the collection of Islamic art, for which she developed a
special fascination, beginning from her honeymoon trip in 1935, and
devoting a lifetime of around 60 years, putting together one of the most
comprehensive collections of Islamic art in America, and perhaps the
entire world. Her deep fascination for Islamic art was clearly
demonstrated, when she began the construction of "Shangri La" her lavish
new home, in Honululu, Hawaii, in 1937, whose construction was
personally supervised by her, and into which she incorporated features
of Islamic architecture, eventually converting it into a home not only
for herself, but her enormous and cherished collection of 3,500 objects
of Islamic art, as well as pre-Islamic art from Islamic countries,
dating from 1,500 BC to the 20th century AD.
Playhouse at Shangri-La, holding works of art from
Qajar dynasty Iran
©
Doris Duke Foundation of Islamic Art.
Her lifetime interest in Islamic Art, took her to
many Islamic countries in the Middle East and Asia, such as Morocco,
Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and
India. During these travels while purchasing Islamic artifacts, she also
commissioned art from contemporary Muslim artists. She developed a
special interest for the decorative arts of the 17th to 19th centuries,
especially from the Ottoman and Mughal empires and Safavid and Qajar
dynasties of the Persian empire. She personally participated in the
design and installation of the art objects. Many objects were integrated
into the structure of the house itself, such as ceilings, doorways,
decorative elements such as ceramic tiles, lighting and furniture. The
collections include both religious works of art, as well as ones made
for everyday life, originating from different lifestyles, such as the
royal court, city, village and nomadic life. The artworks executed in a
great variety of media, such as wood, paper, enamel, glass, stone,
ceramic, metal and fiber, is juxtaposed in nearly every room. Out of
this, ceramic works of art constitute about one-fifth of the collection.
Her intention to make her collection as comprehensive as possible, led
to the acquisition of lesser known arts too, such as furniture, doors
and hybrid works of art that blend Islamic and other artistic
traditions.
Shangri La, the Honolulu home of Doris Duke, that
houses her extensive collection of Islamic art, is presently owned and
supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA), one of
the three operating foundations supported by the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation (DDCF), and was created by her to promote the study and
understanding of Islamic art and culture. Shangri La has been open to
the public since 2002.
Doris Duke built
bridges with a great civilization, and as a result she is
considered to be ahead of her times
Doris Dukes collection was motivated by the
fascination for the culture and life of peoples in the Islamic world,
and in this respect she is considered to be ahead of her times, for she
had been building bridges with a great civilization, knowingly or
unknowingly, which was largely alien for a majority in the western
world. Her untiring efforts during her life time to consolidate these
bridges through the medium of art, has a new found relevancy in modern
times, especially after the conflict of the two civilizations, and an
urgency felt by many people in the western world to understand Islam,
and the deep-rooted culture and way of life of its adherents.
Duke divorces
James Cromwell after 8 years of marriage
After marrying James Cromwell, Duke supported his
political ambitions, and also campaigned for him, but their marriage
soon began to unravel. Eventually when Cromwell was appointed as
Ambassador to Canada in 1940, Duke withdrew to Hawaii, where she could
spend a free and anonymous life. The couple eventually divorced in 1943,
after 8 years of marriage. The marriage produced a daughter, Arden, who
was born prematurely and lived only for one day. Duke was devastated
when doctors informed her that she will not be able to conceive again.
Her short career
in journalism, and marriage to the Dominican playboy Porfirio Rubirosa
In 1945, Duke began a career in journalism, serving
as a foreign correspondent for the International News Service, and
reporting from various cities in war-torn Europe. After the end of World
War II, she based herself in Paris, where she continued her career
in journalism, working for the newspaper "Harpers Bazaar." It was while
living in Paris she contracted her second marriage, after meeting and
falling in love with the Dominican playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa. However,
the United States Government taking into consideration her enormous
wealth, warned Doris Duke, and drew up the pre-nuptial agreement. The
union however, lasted only one year, after which Doris Duke did not get
married again.
Doris Dukes other
interests in life apart from world travel and collection of artworks and
other items
Apart from extensive world travel and the collection
of artworks, jewelry, furniture and wines, Doris Duke pursued a variety
of other interests in life. such as historic preservation, environmental
conservation, wildlife and horticulture. In 1968, she created the
Newport Restoration Foundation, whose main objective was the restoration
and preservation of more than 80 colonial buildings in the town, which
also included her own summer house at Rough Point. Other historic
properties that were included in the program were, Samuel Whitehorne
House, Prescott Farm, the Buloid Perry House, the King's Arms Tavern,
the Baptist Meetinghouse, and the Cotton House. After restoration most
of the buildings were rented out to tenants, and five were converted to
Museums.
Her interest in horticulture led to a friendship with
Louis Bromfield, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and renowned
scientific farmer, who owned Malabar Farm, his country home in Lucas,
Ohio. After Bromfield's death she donated funds that enabled the State
Government purchase Malabar Farm, and incorporate it into the Malabar
Farm State Park. In 1958, she created the Duke Gardens Foundation, in
order to endow the 60,000 square-foot (5,600 m²)
public-display gardens she began to create at Duke Farms in New Jersey.
The public-display gardens, inspired by DuPont's Longwood Gardens,
consisted of eleven interconnected gardens. Doris Duke herself designed
the architectural, artistic and botanical elements of the displays,
based on observations and first hand experience, derived from her
extensive worldwide travels. She also worked on the installation of the
displays, supervising and giving instructions to the gardeners,
sometimes working almost 16 hours a day.
Country Manor, Duke Farms, 1910.
Doris Duke
purchases a Boeing-737 jet to shuttle between her residences
Doris Duke had a permanent staff of over 200 workers,
who managed her finances, looked after her and her five residences. Her
principal residence was at Duke Farms, the 2,700 acre estate at
Hillsborough, New Jersey. Her other residences included, a house at 78th
Street New York, which in 1958 was donated to the Institute of Fine Arts
of the New York University, a penthouse at Park Avenue, New York, a
hillside mansion known as "Falcon's Lair" at Beverley Hills,
California, once the home of Rudolph Valentino, her summer residence at
Rough Point, Newport, Rhode Island, and her winter residence "Shangri
La" at Honolulu, Hawaii. She purchased a Boeing-737 jet, and
re-decorated its interior, and used it for her travels between her far
flung homes, and also on her frequent international trips to collect
artworks, and plants for her gardens.
Doris Duke's Summer Residence at Rough Point, Newport,
Rhode Island.
Doris Duke's final
years and her death at Beverley Hills, California, on October 28, 1993
Doris Duke first became ill in the winter of 1990,
while at Shangri La, her winter home, at Honolulu, Hawaii. She then had
a fall that broke her hip, and made her unconscious. After recovering
from this accident, she left for Beverley Hills, with her butler
Lafferty, where she sank into deep depression. In 1992, at the age of
79, she was encouraged by Lafferty, to have a series of operations, that
included a face lift and knee-replacement surgery. The facelift
operation was successful. but the first knee-replacement surgery was
unsuccessful, leaving duke confined to a wheel chair. She was
hospitalized from February 2 to April 15, 1993 for her first
surgery. In July of the same year she underwent a second knee surgery
and was hospitalized till October 27, 1993. Finally, just a day after
she returned home from her second surgery, she suffered a stroke and
died at home in Beverley Hills, on October 28, 1993, at the age of 80
years. According to her last will, her body was cremated 24 hours after
her death, and her ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean. A small
container of her ashes was sent to Marshfield, Missouri, a town she came
to admire during her lifetime. Her ashes were buried in a local
cemetery, and a stone slab placed to honor her memory.
Doris Duke leaves virtually all her
estate worth $1.3 billion to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, that
supports medical research, environmental conservation, performing arts
and prevention of cruelty to children and animals.
At the time of her death, Doris Duke's estate was
estimated to be worth around $1.3 billion. In her final will she left
almost all of her fortune to several existing and new charitable
foundations, and appointed her Irish-born butler Bernard Lafferty as
executor. Then followed a series of law suits that lasted three years,
by Doris Duke's lawyers, and other interested parties, accusing Lafferty
of misusing the estate funds to support his own life style, and
challenging his suitability to administer such an important charity.
Finally, Lafferty was removed as executor of the estate by a New York
court, which appointed new competent trustees, who control all assets of
the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. In accordance with her will the
DDCF supports medical research, anti-vivisectionism, prevention of
cruelty to children and animals, performance arts, wildlife and ecology.
The DDCF also controls funding for three foundations created by Doris
Duke to administer her three former homes :- 1) The Doris Duke
Foundation for Islamic Art, that administers her Shangri La home in
Honolulu, housing her valuable Islamic art collection. 2) The Newport
Restoration Foundation, that administers her former summer residence at
Rough Point, Newport, and also other colonial buildings in Newport. 3)
The Duke Farms Foundation, which administers the 2,700 acre Duke Farms
estate in Hillsborough, New Jersey.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
External Links :-
1) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation -
www.ddcf.org
References :-
1) Doris Duke - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2) Doris Duke Biography - www.biography.com
3) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation - www.ddcf.org
4) Shangri La - Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
- www.artstor.org
5) About the Shangri La collection -
www.shangrilahawaii.org
6) The Doris Duke Collection -
www.christies.com
7) Gems From The East And West - The Doris Duke
Jewelry Collection, Janet Zapata, Ulysses Dietz, Zette Emmons. Published
by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 650, Fifth Avenue, 19th floor, New
York.
