Description:

Spectacular Kennedy-Owned Vintage Tea Mug from Sotheby's!

Vintage Lord Nelson Pottery white stoneware tea mug, Bearing one gold-rimmed Sotheby's sticker marked "435/71" showing provenance from the spectacular February 15-17, 2005 auction "Property From Kennedy Family Homes" accompanied by University Archives Authentication tag signed by John Reznikoff. 3" x 4", No place, undated. Fine condition with a very tiny nick at the base.

A Tea Mug from the Kennedy's dinnerware collection, likely used by them in one of their homes in Hyannis Port or Martha's Vineyard. The mug has simple classic lines with a rich cream glaze. There is no maker's mark visible (though it is possibly obscured under the Sotheby's identification tag at the bottom), but the piece comes from a known Lord Nelson Pottery set. 

Jackie was widely celebrated for her taste which extended from her personal wardrobe to tableware, to restoring the White House. When she began a complete restoration of the White House, the American people were captivated and she set a standard that has influenced first ladies ever since. Jackie enlisted Life Magazine to promote the renovation. She helped prepare a fully illustrated article that ran in the September 1961 issue in which she participated in an interview with Hugh Sidey, stating "Everything in the White House must have a reason for being there. It would be a sacrilege to merely redecorate it - a word I hate. It must be restored, and that has nothing to do with decoration. That is a question of scholarship."

In the excerpt below, daughter Caroline explicitly linked her mother's recreational interest in early American antiques and decorative arts with her September 1961 campaign to restore the White House. She also established this object's provenance:

"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.

The objects in this book [the Sotheby's 2005 auction catalogue] and the places they represent are filled with memories, particularly the ones from Hyannis Port where our family still spends such happy times. These objects link directly to my parents’ time in the White House. Not only are there many photographs in which the interior of the house looks quite the same, but many of the pieces were acquired by my grandfather from Gerald Shea, an early collector of American furniture and decorative arts. During the 1950s when there was comparatively little interest, my mother added to the collection through her lifelong love of visiting antique shops on the Cape and Nantucket. The Shea collection and her own expeditions sparked her interest in American deco­rative arts, a field which she elevated to a new prominence through her restora­tion of the White House… " 

An elegant piece of Kennedyiana with superb provenance!

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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January 6, 2022 10:30 AM EST
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