Sothebys will sell one of the greatest private collections of Americana ever assembled on Saturday, Jan. 22, headlining its series of Americana Week sales in New York. The du Pont name is among the most notable and storied names in American history. Over the course of decades, William K. du Pont assembled collections that are entirely unique in character and importance. The definition of a true connoisseur, he was a devoted scholar, who was a prominent fixture on the committees of both the Philadelphia and Delaware Antiques Shows, among other notable organizations. Bill du Pont also served for many years on the board of Winterthur, the estate originally owned by his family and now the premier museum for American decorative arts that houses the legendary collection of Henry Francis du Pont just north of Wilmington, Del., and south of Chadds Ford, Pa. Bill du Pont died in a a tragic tractor accident on July 4, 2020. He was a devoted conservationist and land preservationist. Special items from the collection were graciously loaned to many landmark exhibits over his lifetime, among them Worldly Goods: The Arts of Early Pennsylvania, 1680-1758 in 1999 held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A log house in Lebanon County, Pa. was relocated to his estate near Newark, Del., to house items, the strength being early Pennsylvania German and Quaker items. In the 1990s, he sold much of his Chippendale material to shift to earlier Pennsylvania German and Quaker, such as sulfer inlaid furniture and line-and-berry-inlaid furniture. Lisa Minardi is working on a book of the Rocky Hill collection; the project, several years in the making, will serve as a lasting legacy to the man and all Americana enthusiasts. The auction will have 644 lots. A post-sale report will appear in a future issue. The photos are but a very small sampling of the vast collection, which also includes Pennsylvania German ironware, long rifles, powder horns, Native American arrowheads, American silver, pewter, and much more. For Sothebys online catalog, visit www.sothebys.com. On Saturday, Jan. 29, John Hess of Conestoga Auction Co. in Manheim, Pa., will hold a large catalog sale for the Bill du Pont estate selling an array of quality material. A report on this sale will also run in a future issue. To learn more, call Conestoga Auction Co. at 717-898-7284. Photos courtesy of Sothebys.