FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2006
Contact: Morgan Devlin
Newport Restoration Foundation
401-849-7300 x14
morgan@newportrestoration.org
Stylish Choices: What Made Rough Point a Well Dressed House in Newport
If you were Doris Duke, heiress and world traveler, how would you have chosen to decorate your home? That is the topic of an interactive new exhibition in the galleries at Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport home. Opening on April 13, 2006, "After the Gilded Age: The Well Dressed House in Newport," will display many items to the public for the first time, including elegant pieces by Tiffany, Baccarat, Limoges, and Rhode Island-made Gorham silver.
Visitors encounter a series of questions of etiquette and taste as they tour the exhibition, allowing them to contemplate their own choices and see how they are influenced by ‘tastemakers’ of today. This contemporary overlay allows visitors to better understand the choices made by Doris Duke, a young woman with a distinctive style and a fortune at her disposal. Heiress to a vast family fortune at age 12, Miss Duke spent a lifetime in collecting and assembling the marvelous array of art and antiques displayed at Rough Point.
The exhibition demonstrates how Miss Duke’s style choices differed in public and private spaces throughout the house. From extravagant table settings with numerous forks to more casual items from her personal rooms, the collection clearly demonstrates the lavish world of “Bellevue Avenue” society. Visitors can imagine entertaining in the style of Doris Duke as they admire an extravagant breakfast set used in the guest rooms. While this luxurious level of home décor is not common today, choices of china patterns and flatware are still among current accoutrements of good taste.
A showcase for diversity in time and place of creation, as well as style, the exhibition offers items from around the world. Porcelain dinner and tea sets made in England, France, Russia and Czechoslovakia are displayed. A Kashan silk rug from Persia is one of the oldest pieces in the exhibit and dates from the 16th century. A spectacular wine cup, or tazza, circa 1580 from Nuremberg is the oldest silver object in the collection. As with the entire collection at Rough Point, the exhibit pieces demonstrate Doris Duke’s knowledge of fine workmanship and appreciation for outstanding works of art.
Rough Point opens for the 2006 season on April 13. From April 13 – May 13, the house is open Thursday-Saturday from 10:00-2:00. From May 16 – November 4, a full schedule is offered Tuesday-Saturday from 9:30-4:00. Tickets cost $25 and include the special exhibit and access to the grounds. Children under 12 admitted free. Advance reservations are recommended due to limited tour size. Please book online at www.newportrestoration.org For group tour information, contact Barbara Schlubach at Barbara@newportrestoration.org or (401) 849-7300 x10. For same-day Reservations, visit the Gateway Visitors Center, 23 America’s Cup Avenue or call (401) 845-9130.
Rough Point was willed to the Newport Restoration Foundation by Doris Duke upon her death in 1993. It was her express wish that it be opened to the public as a museum. Founded by Miss Duke in 1968, the Newport Restoration Foundation, a non-profit institution, was formed with the express purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island’s 18th and 19th century architectural culture. The foundation continues to be actively engaged in educational efforts, scholarly research and historical preservation.
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