In 1935, heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke (1912-1993) and her husband James Cromwell embarked on a honeymoon tour of the world, which included the Middle East, India and South Asia. It was a trip that profoundly affected the rest of her life. Traveling through many Muslim countries and parts of India, she was captivated by Islamic cultural traditions, art and architecture. A visit to the Taj Mahal inspired Duke to commission a marble bedroom and bathroom suite from an architectural firm in New Delhi, which was intended for a house she planned to build in Florida, but which eventually became the nucleus for the house she built in Hawaii.
The Shangri-La estate in Honolulu included a 14,000-square-foot main house that was built around a central patio; the Playhouse, which had two guest rooms and a central living space and was modeled after the Chihul Sutun, a royal pavilion built in Isfahan, Iran, in 1647; a caretaker’s cottage; and a 75-foot swimming pool, water terraces and tropical gardens. Duke and Cromwell traveled to Europe and the Middle East for four months in 1938 to purchase furnishings for their new home.
Duke’s approach was careful and deliberate. In Paris, she met with Moroccan designer Rene Martin and commissioned numerous pieces for Shangri La, including two carved and painted ceilings, doors, wooden grilles and screens, roofing tiles, furniture and design schemes for the living room. For a five-week period in March and April, the Cromwells traveled through Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey where numerous photographs were taken and sketches made of architectural features such as columns, capitals, painted ceilings and roof details. These were sent to the architects to guide them in the final detailing of the house. Purchases were also made of ceramics, antique tile panels, textiles, brass hanging lamps and large mosaic tile-works.
From these early beginnings, when Duke was still in her mid-20s, began a passion for collecting and living with Islamic art. She continued to collect and install significant artworks at the estate until a year before her death. Duke’s will created the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) “to promote the study and understanding of Middle Eastern art and culture” and to manage Shangri La. To view the property online and see highlights of the collection click to http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/.
