A Vanderbilt & Whitney Legacy: Property from the Collection of Marylou Whitney & John Hendrickson
William Gale, Jr., New York, circa 1867
Comprising a coffee pot, teapot, cream jug, waste bowl, sugar bowl (lacking cover), each of tapering form, engraved with bright-cutting, each engraved CAV and 1867. Height of coffee pot 11 inches, height of teapot 9 1/4 inches, total approximately 79 ounces, all in.
The CAV monogram is that of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899), who married Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1845-1934) on 4 February 1867 in New York. Cornelius Vanderbilt II was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877).
Thence by descent to Getrude Vanderbilt (1875-1942), daughter, artist, and founder of the Whitney Museum, who married Harry Payne Whitney (1872-1930)
Cornelius (Sonny) Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992), who married Marylou (Schroeder) Whitney (1925-2019) in 1958.
Sold for $23,040
Estimated at $2,500 - $3,500
Includes Buyer's Premium
A Vanderbilt & Whitney Legacy: Property from the Collection of Marylou Whitney & John Hendrickson
William Gale, Jr., New York, circa 1867
Comprising a coffee pot, teapot, cream jug, waste bowl, sugar bowl (lacking cover), each of tapering form, engraved with bright-cutting, each engraved CAV and 1867. Height of coffee pot 11 inches, height of teapot 9 1/4 inches, total approximately 79 ounces, all in.
The CAV monogram is that of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899), who married Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1845-1934) on 4 February 1867 in New York. Cornelius Vanderbilt II was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877).
Thence by descent to Getrude Vanderbilt (1875-1942), daughter, artist, and founder of the Whitney Museum, who married Harry Payne Whitney (1872-1930)
Cornelius (Sonny) Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992), who married Marylou (Schroeder) Whitney (1925-2019) in 1958.
Please note the pots contain ivory insulators; Sold together with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation License (ECL), with authorization to sell Interstate and Intrastate, expiration date of November 11, 2026.
Generally good condition overall; good detail to engraved decoration; each engraved Gothic "CAV" and "1867" to reverse; the coffee pot cover slightly sprung; the sugar bowl likely lacking cover; coffee pot with pin point dent to body; clearly marked undersides
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
Auction: A Vanderbilt & Whitney Legacy: Property from the Collection of Marylou Whitney & John Hendrickson, Nov 12, 2025
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle’s auction of A Vanderbilt & Whitney Legacy: The Collection of Marylou Whitney & John Hendrickson charged out of the gate with determined competition, racing past expectations to achieve a sale total that doubled expectations. The landmark sale on November 12, 2025 featured furniture, artwork, silver, racing memorabilia, decorations, jewelry and more from Cady Hill, the stately Saratoga Springs, New York residence that for nearly a century was home to the prominent Whitney family.
Franklin Brooke Voss – A World Auction Record!
Competition was particularly fierce for Franklin Brooke Voss’s (1880-1953) Winner’s Circle (The Paddock at Saratoga with Top Flight and Trainer), 1931, which galloped past its estimate of $15,000-25,000 to achieve $83,505—A World Auction Record for the Artist. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee Top Flight was the leading American filly of her generation at both two and three years of age. Another work by Voss, a 1945 portrait of Mahmoud, far surpassed its estimate of $6,000-9,000, realizing $38,400. Acquired by Cornelius Vanderbilt "C.V." Whitney in 1940, Mahmoud went on to sire seventy stakes winners for the Whitney stable.
Vanderbilt Silver Shines!
The silver section of the Collection comprised more than forty lots, many evoking the splendor of America’s fabled Gilded Age. Highlighting the offerings was a sterling silver tea and coffee service by William Gale, Jr., New York, which sold for $23,040, many times its estimate. The service was engraved CAV and 1867, commemorating the marriage of C.V.’s maternal grandparents, Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Claypoole Gwynne. Their magnificent townhouse at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street was the largest private residence ever built in New York City, while their summer home, The Breakers, remains the most lavish of Newport’s famed “cottages.”
Also bearing a Vanderbilt provenance was a pair of English sterling silver wine coolers by John Fray, London, 1765, that sold far over its estimate, realizing $21,760. The coolers were engraved GV and August 25th, 1896—the date of the wedding of C.V.’s parents, Gertrude Vanderbilt and Harry Payne Whitney, which took place at The Breakers.
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899-1992)
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, known both as “C.V.” and “Sonny,” was a distinguished figure whose life embodied the legacy of two of America’s most storied families—the Vanderbilts and the Whitneys. The son of businessman and Thoroughbred breeder Harry Payne Whitney and his wife, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, he inherited a deep connection to both industry and art. A financier, philanthropist, and passionate horseman, Whitney carried forward the family’s celebrated tradition in Thoroughbred racing. Beyond the racetrack, he was a co-founder and the first president of Pan American Airways and a co-founder of Selznick International, which produced such enduring classics as A Star Is Born (1937) and Gone with the Wind (1939).
Marylou Whitney (1925-2019)
In 1958, C.V. married Marie Louise Schroeder Hosford, who would become known to the world as Marylou Whitney—a sparkling presence affectionately known as the “Queen of Saratoga” and a tireless advocate for the sport of racing. Together, they revitalized Saratoga’s summer season, entertaining with warmth and flair at Cady Hill and the Canfield Casino, where Marylou’s legendary parties blended elegance, humor and excitement. Following Cornelius’s death in 1992, Marylou continued her deep involvement in the racing community and later married John Hendrickson, with whom she shared her passion for philanthropy and horse racing, in particular the backstretch community and the National Museum of Racing.
The Collection of Marylou Whitney & John Hendrickson offered a rare glimpse into the storied world that defined the Vanderbilt and Whitney families. This landmark auction presented an exceptional opportunity to acquire pieces that reflect a life devoted to art, philanthropy and gracious living—a legacy that continues to inspire and enchant generations of collectors.
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