Kathleen Ford Wife Of The Automotive Millionaire Luxury Collection Going Up For Auction

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The Collections of Mrs. Henry Ford II comprising more than 650 lots being sold across two live auctions: one in New York on March 30, and the other in London on April 15 with an aggregate estimate of more than $5 million.

Kathleen DuRoss Ford was the third wife of Henry Ford II, eldest son of Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company. He became the company’s president in 1945 and retired from the post of board chairman in 1980. They were married from 1980 until his death in 1987. She died in 2020 at age 80 after suffering from multiple health conditions.

“The Ford name is not only synonymous with the creation of the modern automotive industry but also with style and collecting on a grand scale,” Charles Cator, deputy chairman of Christie’s International, said in a statement. “These sales open a window on a golden era, with many of the important works of art acquired in the mid-20th century during a time of unprecedented opportunity for the discerning collector.”Objects appealed not only because of their importance or quality but also for their exceptional provenance.

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The sale features rare and important furniture, paintings and works of art from her Palm Beach, Florida home and UK residences in Eaton Square and Turville Grange. Kathleen DuRoss Ford’s exemplary collection comprises masterpiece objects, such as the rare ormolu-mounted white marble and biscuit-porcelain clock by Benjamin Vulliamy, circa 1791, and important English furniture and works of art by the most pre-eminent cabinet makers of the George III period including Ince & Mayhew, William Vile, John Cobb, Matthew Boulton, Pierre Langlois, John Linnell and Thomas Chippendale.

Masterworks are complemented by important Impressionist works by Edouard Vuillard and Kees van Dongen as well as modern British pictures, European & American furniture, lighting, silver, porcelain services, entertaining wares, needlework carpets, decorative furnishings and objects of virtue all of which offer a window on the very private homes and lifestyle of the late Mr and Mrs Henry Ford II.