Rough Point, in Newport, Rhode Island, was one of Doris Duke's several very private retreats, and it gives a wonderful glimpse of the Gilded Age prevalent in Newport during the late 1800s. There are any number of elegant, sprawling "summer cottages" built by the likes of the Vanderbilts and Astors in Newport, but this one is a particularly precious example of a deliciously opulent period in our history. If you're in Newport, Rhode Island, for a great New England getaway, taking a stroll along Cliff Walk is an absolute must. It will take you along a path atop towering bluffs and snakes its way between some of the biggest and most beautiful mansions in the world on one side, and the ocean on the other, but Rough Point is a standout for its marvelous furniture and art collections. Frederick W. Vanderbilt built this enormous English Manorial house in 1889 on one of the choicest pieces of real estate on the East coast. It's on a windswept promontory whose rocky shore juts into the Atlantic. The views of both the ocean and the house are breath-taking. James B. Duke, who made two fortunes, one in electric power and the other in tobacco, was the benefactor of Duke University. He purchased Rough Point in 1922, but died in 1925 after bequeathing much of his enormous financial empire and Rough Point to his daughter Doris, a twelve-year-old and only child. Doris lived here periodically throughout her life. But, instead of living extravagantly, blissfully unaware of the needs of others, she became an enormously generous philanthropist. At just 21 years of age, she established Independent Aid, which became the Doris Duke Foundation. Throughout her life she supported medical research and was a child welfare advocate. By some estimates, she donated as much as $400 million dollars to worthy causes, often anonymously. Rough Point contains the Duke family's extensive collections of European fine and decorative arts, including works by Renoir, Bol, Gainsborough and Reynold; collections that took seven decades to build. In addition, there are collections of oriental porcelain, tapestries and textiles. Doris Duke herself, an active conservationist and preservationist, also collected Islamic and Southeast Asian art and fine furnishings, many examples of which can be found at Rough Point. During the 1960s Ms. Duke recognized the need to preserve Newport's crumbling, 18th century architecture, which was disappearing quickly, as was the case in many of the oldest U.S. cities. In 1968, she established the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF). While her father collected for the decoration of his houses, Doris Duke studied so that she could make informed decisions herself, and let her curiosity guide her to areas of collecting that were sometimes unfashionable at the time. Masterpiece examples of her Newport collections, heirloom pieces, and collections of Eastern and Western art, are featured in the exhibition, at Rough Point. Three famille verte jars represent a huge variety of Chinese porcelains. 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. Touring Rough Point will give you an opportunity to bask in history, share the splendor of the various Duke collections and sample the Gilded Age in one of America's oldest and finest cities and one of the great New England museums. |
