Sotheby's to Sell Property From Homes Belonging to the Family of President John F. Kennedy

Sotheby's to Sell Property From Homes Belonging to the Family of
President John F. Kennedy
Hyannis Port, Martha's Vineyard, New Jersey, New York, Virginia 


NEW YORK, Nov. 30  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sotheby's announced today that it
will sell fine and decorative arts from the home of President and Mrs. John F.
Kennedy in Hyannis Port as well as other family homes in Martha's Vineyard, New
Jersey, New York City and Virginia. The auction, which will include more than
600 lots, will take place in Sotheby's New York galleries from February 15-17,
2005, with the pre-sale exhibition opening on Wednesday, February 9th and
extending through 1:00 PM on February 14th.  An illustrated catalogue, which is
available beginning today, will feature never before seen interior photographs
of the Kennedy homes as well as seldom seen candid images of the Kennedy
family.  The auction is expected to bring in excess of $1 million.

The property is consigned by Caroline Kennedy, who in her introduction to the
catalogue, wrote: "After my mother died in 1994, my brother and I were faced
with the task of deciding what to do with her possessions, and after careful
consideration, we sold some of them in 1996.  In the intervening years, and the
death of my brother, I found myself again with more houses and belongings than
I could possibly use or enjoy. As we did before, I have given anything of
historical significance to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation which will
make it accessible to scholars and to the public, and I have kept those things
that mean the most to me and to my children." A portion of the proceeds from
the auction and the sale of the catalogue will go to The John F. Kennedy
Library Foundation and other charities.

Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

Senator and Mrs. Kennedy purchased the shingle-clad residence in Hyannis Port
in 1956.  Adjacent to two other homes owned by the Kennedy family, the three
houses formed a compound of six acres on Nantucket Sound.  It was in this home
in November 1960 that John F. Kennedy learned he had been elected President
when his daughter woke him up saying "Good morning, Mr. President." The
residence then served as the summer White House while President Kennedy was in
office.  It was a warm and informal environment, furnished by Mrs. Kennedy with
American furniture, folk art, hooked rugs, ceramics and Sandwich glass.

A significant portion of the furniture and decorations in the Kennedy's Hyannis
Port home was part of a collection of furniture and folk art purchased by the
Kennedy family from Gerald Shea, a highly-regarded dealer in American
decorative arts in the 1950s and 60s.  Among the works from the Shea Collection
to be offered is a Portrait of Captain Platt out of Portsmouth, with a Clipper
Ship in the Distance, attributed to Frederick Mayhew, circa 1830, which hung
behind President Kennedy in an official portrait taken during the summer of
1960.  Captured in that iconic photograph, which would eventually grace the
cover of the November 16, 1960 issue of Life Magazine, the painting of a sea
captain is estimated to sell for $7/9,000 (lot 196). Also from the Shea
Collection is a Federal Walnut and Cherry Worktable, New England, early 19th
century (lot 17, est. $800/1,200); a Baroque Fruitwood Armchair, early 18th
century (lot 18, est. $1,500/2,000); a Queen Anne Maple Flat-Top Highboy, New
England, circa 1740 (lot 57, est. $4/6,000); and a William and Mary
Turned-Maple and Pine-Topped Oval Tavern Table, New England, early 18th century
(lot 14, est. $200/300).

Among the other works of fine art associated with Hyannis Port is The
Breakwater by American artist Ogden Pleissner (1905-1983), a beautiful
watercolor of the harbor with a plaque on the reverse, "Presented by Hyannis
Port Neighbors, 1965. In memory of John F. Kennedy" (lot 41, est. $8/12,000);
and The John F. Kennedy House in Hyannis Port, a watercolor by Elizabeth
Mumford, which is signed and dated 1980 (lot 1, est. $1/1,500).

Jacqueline Kennedy and her mother-in-law, Rose Kennedy, both enjoyed collecting
Sandwich Glass -- the term which originally referred to glass made by the
Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. on Cape Cod, but over time, came to encompass glass
made in the United States in the 19th century.  The auction will include
numerous lots of glass tablewares from the 19th century and later, including a
Group of Six Mold-Blown and Pressed Cobalt-Blue Glass Tablewares (lot 75, est.
$500/700); and a Group of Five Amethyst Glass Tablewares (lot 78, est.
$250/350).

Among the other tablewares and ceramics to be offered are a Copeland, Spode
'Italian Pattern' Part Service, late 19th and 20th century, comprising 235
pieces and estimated to sell for $3/5,000 (lot 98); various groupings of Table
Linens, including pale blue napkins monogrammed JBK (lot 180), with estimates
ranging from $100 to $600; a Davenport Porcelain Botanical Dessert Service,
second quarter 19th century (lot 594, est. $3/5,000) and a Group of Twenty-Five
English and American Pewter Wares, from the Shea Collection, 18th century and
later (lot 183, est. $1/1,500).

Martha's Vineyard

In 1979 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought a large piece of almost completely
undeveloped property on a rise overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Martha's
Vineyard and designed and built a house to be used primarily during the summer.
Inspired by the vernacular of a New England seaside cottage, the house had a
shingled exterior with a central front door and chimney.  The main rooms on the
ground floor opened directly towards the sea with extensive patios and picture
windows.  It was furnished with New England Country furniture, rag rugs and
masses of books, reinforcing its place as a private retreat for family and
friends.

Complementing the country furniture and decorations from Martha's Vineyard are
fine examples of American and English Marine art, among which is a pencil and
colored pencil drawing of The Vineyard Sound Light Ship No. 7, American School,
19th / 20th century (lot 154, est. $4/6,000).  Also of a nautical theme is a
painting of An American Sailing Ship Near Hong Kong, Chinese School, 19th
century (lot 158, est. $10/15,000); and a painting of the ship Horace B.
Parker, by American artist W.E. Shibbs (lot 208, est. $4/6,000), which can be
seen in photographs hanging above the fireplace in the dining room.  From the
ground-floor living room, which had a breath-taking view of the water, is a
small oil painting by Augustus John, Portrait of the Artist's Wife Dorelia
Before a Banner, executed circa 1910-1911 (lot 159, est. $20/30,000) and a
charming Pair of Hand-Colored Seashell Etchings, circa 1800, (lot 156-157, est.
$400/600).

New Jersey

Beginning in 1965, Mrs. Kennedy began to spend weekends with her children about
an hour from New York in the heart of New Jersey hunt country.  The family
rented and then bought a simple home in Peapack, New Jersey - a converted barn
in a valley which was ideally situated for riding and fox hunting.  A keen
horsewoman since her early childhood, Mrs. Kennedy soon joined the Essex Hunt,
which was established in 1870 and incorporated in Peapack in 1913.  The layout
of the house was centered around a large room used as the living room and
dining room.  In addition to several bedrooms upstairs, there was also a
library filled with floor-to-ceiling bookcases as well as an area off the
kitchen where riding boots and tack were kept.

A Provincial Paneled Pine Wall Cupboard (lot 389, est. $2/3,000) is among the
furniture from the New Jersey residence to be offered.  Also included are a
Pair of Bleached Wood Coffee Tables, 20th century (lots 410-411, est. $600/800
each); a lovely Pair of Wrought-and-Gilt Iron Wall-Mounted Pricket Sticks, with
leaf-decorated scrolling arms (lot 408, est. $200/300); and a Painted Ribbed
Pottery Lamp (lot 506, est. $100/150).  Demonstrative of Mrs. Kennedy's passion
for horses is a painting of The Hunting Party at Chantilly, by the Circle of
Van der Muelen, which is estimated to sell for $15/20,000 (lot 409).

Virginia

In the 1990s Mrs. Onassis began to spend more time riding in Virginia and in
the countryside where she had foxhunted as a First Lady.  She rented a small
cottage near Middleburg, not far from "Wexford", the house she had built when
President Kennedy was in The White House.  The cottage was furnished with
country antiques accented by French toile wallpaper.  It provided an escape
from the city, and a return to a community filled with happy memories.

The presence of horses in Mrs. Onassis' life is evidenced by a group of riding
tack and horse blankets included in the auction.  Turn-Out Rugs, Show Coolers,
Rain Sheets and Blankets (lots 520-524), all bearing the diamond pattern
monogram of JOK will be offered.  Among a Group of Tack is a bridle, several
bits, a martingale, a leather lead rope and a shipping halter with a plaque
reading Town Clown. (Estimates range from $75 to $300.  Lots 531A-C.) Also
included is a Blue Acrylic Tack Trunk with a white monogram, JOK (lot 530, est.
$800/1,200).  Among the equestrian-inspired art included in the Kennedy's
residences is a lovely depiction of a Ladies Hunter Class, by American artist
Henry Koehler (lot 528, est. $5/7,000).

New York

Mrs. Onassis lived at 1040 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York for
30 years in a 17-story building designed by Rosario Candela, widely considered
to be one of the foremost designers of luxury apartment buildings during the
1920s and 30s.  The living room, dining room, library and master bedroom looked
out on to the Central Park Reservoir, which was later renamed in Mrs. Onassis'
memory.  Mrs. Onassis loved having fires in the three fireplaces and simple
arrangements of cornflowers in the spring, dried hydrangeas in the fall and
lady apples in the winter.  The refined and sophisticated decoration was based
on Gallic inspiration, with French fabrics, furniture and paneling, true to her
great interest in and love of France and its culture.

Among the items from the New York apartment to be offered are a
Tortoiseshell-Painted and Gilt-Wood Long Mirror, last quarter 20th century (lot
547, est. $2/3,000); Studies of a Bison and a Gnu, by Aert Schouman (lots
571-572, est. $3/5,000 each); a Pair of Louis XVI Gray-Painted Suede-
Upholstered Bergeres en Cabriolet, last quarter 18th century (lot 582, est.
$6/8,000); a Painted and Wood Drafting Table and Rush-Seat Stool, 20th century
(lot 580, est. $600/800); and a Chinese Metal Mounted Red-Lacquered Gilt
Decorated Writer's Box (lot 581, est. $400/600).

White House

The auction will also include a selection of furniture and decorations from the
private family quarters of the White House when the Kennedys were in residence.
 Among the items to be offered is a Victorian Mahogany and Upholstered Chaise
Longue, late 19th century, from Mrs. Kennedy's Dressing Room in The White House
(lot 372, est. $400/600); a Set of Eight Louis XVI Style Gray-Painted Dining
Chairs (lot 354, est. $2/3,000); a Louis XV Style White-Painted
Serpentine-Front Chest of Drawers, from The White House Nursery (lot 373, est.
$1,500/2,000); and a Swiss Continental Pine Armoire, mid-19th century,
exuberantly painted with wood graining, marbling and flower-filled urns (lot
380, est. $2/3,000).

President Kennedy's well-known love of the sea was reflected in some of his
possessions.  His collection of scrimshaw has been well documented and he also
collected Maritime art and ship models.  Some of these were displayed in the
Oval Office -- varying from whaling rowboats to a model PT109, the boat he
commanded in World War II.  Among the ship models included in the auction is an
American Painted Wood Ship Model of The Clipper Ship Ann McKim, mid-20th
century, made by John J. Flynn (lot 388, est. $500/700).   President Kennedy
was given a sailboat, "Victura", for his 15th birthday by his parents, and it
would play an important role throughout his life.  He won races on it when he
was a boy and drew doodles of it when he was President.  Included in the sale
is one of the limited edition prints of Jamie Wyeth's enduring image of John F.
Kennedy Sailing in Victura, which was commissioned to celebrate the dedication
of the John F. Kennedy Library, October 20, 1979 (lot 387, est. $800/1,200).

Present in all of the Kennedy homes were the rocking chairs which had been
recommended by Dr. Janet Travell to ease President Kennedy's severe back pain.
In 1955, while he was still a senator, John F. Kennedy acquired the first of
what came to be called a "Kennedy" Rocker.  During his Presidency, these chairs
were in various locations, including The White House, Hyannis Port, Hammersmith
Farm in Newport, on the Presidential Yacht the Honey Fitz and his parents' home
in Palm Beach.  A Turned Oak and Brown-Painted Rocking Armchair, North
Carolina, 20th century (lot 53, est. $4/6,000) will be included in the February
auction.

Portraits

The Kennedys shared a passion for the arts and throughout their lives and
formed relationships with many artists.  Aaron Shickler was initially engaged
by Jacqueline Kennedy to paint portraits of her children in 1968. Subsequently,
she asked him to paint her official White House portrait as well as that of
President Kennedy.  The auction will include a number of works by Shickler
including John and Caroline Reading: A Study, from 1968 (lot 160, est.
$3/5,000); a jewel-like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a Sailboat (2 x 3 ins.)
(lot 165, est. $3/5,000);  and Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy with Caroline and
John Jr., 1968, which was painted in the living room of Mrs. Kennedy's Fifth
Avenue apartment (lot 569, est. $8/12,000).

The sale will also include four works by her friend, the German artist Franz
Bueb (1919-1982), including Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy, a pen and ink
drawing, which is estimated to sell for $2/3,000 (lot 330) and Portrait of
Jacqueline Kennedy in a Straw Hat, in pen and ink with watercolor, which also
carries an estimate of $2/3,000 (lot 331).

During the Presidential campaign, William Walton, a close friend of the
Kennedys, was a pivotal figure in the victories in Wisconsin and West Virginia
and was the campaign coordinator in New York.  Originally from Jacksonville,
Illinois, he went to Washington to work for Life and then the New Republic. He
left journalism to devote himself to being an artist, and over time, his style
evolved from figurative to abstract.  Included in the auction are a number of
works by Walton including Old State, a pen and ink sketch of an estate,
inscribed on the reverse, "For Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy from William Walton,
May 29, 1963" (lot 318, est. $700/900); and Statue of Andrew Jackson on
Horseback, inscribed on the reverse, "Andrew Jackson saluting JFK on his 46th
birthday" (lot 319, est. $500/700).  A later, more abstract work will also be
offered, The Benign Sign for JBK, which is estimated at $200/300 (lot 317).

Jacqueline Duheme painted a series of charming, miniature pictures of the trip
President and Mrs. Kennedy took to Paris in 1961.  Subsequently, Ms. Duheme
gave this series to the Kennedys and was invited to travel with the First Lady
and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill, when they went to India and Pakistan in
1962.

Princess Radziwill lived in London at the time and following their trip, Mrs.
Kennedy stopped there for two days on her way back to Washington.  In Resting
Up, London. March 26, 1962, Duheme has captured Mrs. Kennedy asleep in her
sister's house, being visited by her nephew and his dog (lot 367, est.
$500/700).

Photographs

Among an interesting group of photographs to be offered is a charming image of
John F. Kennedy and John Jr. in a Rowboat, taken by an anonymous photographer,
circa 1962 (lot 671, est. $200/250).  Also included is the iconic image by
George Tames, entitled 'The Loneliest Job' (JFK in the Oval Office), which
shows the President, in a moment of reflection, leaning over his desk in The
White House.  Signed, dated and annotated, N.Y. Times in ink in the margin, the
image was published in The New York Times Magazine on February 19, 1961, and is
estimated to sell for $500/700 (lot 384).  Stanley Tretick, best known for his
series of photographs taken of the Kennedys which were published in Look
Magazine between 1960 and 1964, is represented by a photograph of the Kennedys
entitled Hyannis Port, November 1960 (lot 375, est. $500/700).  Several signed
photographs of Senator and Mrs. Kennedy Campaigning in Oregon and West Virginia
by Jacques Lowe (estimates ranging from $700 to $1,000) are also included (lots
673,676, 677, 679, 680).

Books

Books were an integral part of the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. From
childhood onwards, she was an avid reader, amassing several thousand books over
her lifetime.  Working with books later became her profession and for two years
she worked as an editor at Viking and then, from 1978 until her death in 1994,
she was an editor at Doubleday.  The February auction features books from the
shelves of all of the residences mentioned, their myriad topics reflecting the
wide range of interests --history, art, architecture, design, literature,
travel, politics and The White House, among other topics-of their reader. Among
the volumes are a Group of Books Relating to American Politics and Policy, each
bearing the Presidential bookplate of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (lot 114, est.
$500/700); a Group of Books by or about John F. Kennedy, including Profiles in
Courage, Inaugural Edition (lot 122, est. $300/500); and a group of various
editions of White House Guides, including approximately two from the Kennedy
Presidency years, one from President Johnson's administration, fourteen from
President Nixon's, one from President Ford's and one from President Carter's
(lot 120, est. $100/200).

Other books to be offered include a Group of Books Relating to France and
French Literature (lot 465, est. $400/600); a Group of Books Relating to
Textiles (lot 464, est. $100/200); a Group of Books Relating to India (lot 476,
est. $150/250); and a Group of Books by or Edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
(lot 459, est. $300/500).  Books and magazines which are indicative of Mrs.
Onassis' interest in fashion and design include: Approximately 35 issues of
Architectural Digest (most bearing annotations in Mrs. Onassis' hand) (lot 478,
est. $100/200); a Group of Apollo Magazines dating from 1977-1994 (lot 479,
est. $100/200); a Group of Magazines including several issues of Connoisseur
and The Magazine Antiques (lot 486, est. $100/200) and a Group of Books
Relating to Haute Couture, including Valentino, inscribed "To Jackie/ with all
my friendship/ and admiration/ Valentino/ Sept 1982" (lot 469, est. $100/200).

A book which is representative of Mrs. Kennedy's thirst for knowledge and
wide-ranging interests is Mai-Mai Sze, The Tao of Paintings, A Study of the
Ritual Disposition of Chinese Painting, 1963.  In 1966, Mrs. Kennedy took a
course of ten lessons in Chinese Painting and Calligraphy during a trip to
Honolulu, Hawaii.  This book was presented to her by her instructor, Hon Chew
Hee, with a lovely inscription and is offered together with two photographs of
Mrs. Kennedy taken while she was studying (lot 281, est. $250/350).  A charming
memento from years spent in The White House is a three-ring binder entitled TOM
KITTEN alias TOM TERRIFIC /THE WHITE HOUSE CAT.  Comprising nine 8 x 10 gelatin
prints of Tom Kitten, Caroline Kennedy's cat while she lived in the White
House, the book also bears the floral bookplate of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
(lot 119, est. $100/200).

Jewelry

The sale will feature a small selection of jewelry and precious objects
belonging to Mrs. Onassis.  Highlights include pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels,
among them a Lapis Lazuli and Diamond Bracelet and Earclips (lot 657, est.
$3/5,000) and a Colored Stone and Diamond Girl Brooch (lot 658, est.
$1,200/1,500).  Other pieces include a Silver-Topped Gold, Sapphire and Diamond
Flower Brooch (lot 661, est. $12/15,000); an Art Deco Rock Crystal Sapphire and
Diamond Bow Brooch (lot 662, est. $6/8,000); a Black Velvet, Diamond, Coral and
Emerald Purse, Cartier (lot 656, est. $3/4,000) and a Faberge Gold and Enamel
Triptych Miniature Frame, circa 1900 (lot 664, est. $15/20,000).

The Catalogue

The catalogue will be available for purchase beginning December 1, 2004 by
logging on to http://www.sothebys.com/, or by calling [phone].
Catalogues can also be purchased at Sotheby's galleries in New York and London
and will be necessary to attend the exhibition, given the significant interest
anticipated.  Admission to the exhibition will be granted to a random selection
of those who purchase the catalogues from December 1, 2004 through January 10,
2005.  The price for the catalogues is $50 plus shipping and handling.  Further
questions concerning catalogue sales should be directed to [phone].

Press Preview

There will be a Press Preview on February 8, 2005 and press credentials will be
required.  Further details on the Press Preview will be distributed in
mid-January.

For more information, please contact Sotheby's Press Office at [phone] 

DATASOURCE: Sotheby's Holdings, Inc.



CONTACT: Diana Phillips, Matthew Weigman, Lauren Gioia, or Patricia Fox

Madara for Sotheby's Holdings, [phone], fax: [phone]



Web site:  http://www.sothebys.com/ 

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