Weschler’s will commence its sale season with the upcoming Capital Collections Estate Auction, which will be held on Friday, September 20th at 10am in Washington, DC. The auction will offer an array of American & European furniture & decorations, Asian works of art, jewelry, coins & watches, fine art and 20th century decorative arts.

The highlight of the sale’s offerings is a rare and exquisitely crafted Viennese piano forte. The Austrian ormolu-mounted parcel ebonized and gilt gesso Elmwood piano forte (est: $10-$15,000) was possibly crafted by Johann Fritz, between the years of 1810 and 1820. The six-octave keyboard, from FF to f4, has four pedals, including a Turkish music pedal (cymbal and drum) and a bassoon knee level. Its provenance can be traced back to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss of Dumbarton Oaks, who gifted it to The National Trust’s Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, VA before it was lent and then deeded to a Virginia historical society in 1988. Viennese pianos were preferred by composers such as Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven as they provided a larger range and louder sound that filled the cavernous concert halls of the early 19th century.

The fine arts selection boasts more than 100 paintings. Highlights include: Jean Dufy’s watercolor and gouache Clowns Musiciens (est: $15,000-$25,000); Thomas Sully’s oil on canvas Portrait of Emma Leiper Campbell ($10,000-$15,000); and Marion Kavanagh Wachtel’s watercolor Old Reservoir Santa Barbara Mission (est: $25,000-$35,000). A serene, snowy cityscape by Guy Wiggins, Winter at the Plaza, is estimated between $30,000 and $50,000.

Furniture and decorative arts offerings include a Louis XV mahogany bombé commode (est: $6,000-$8,000); a pair of Georg Jensen sterling two-light candelabra designed by Harald Nielsen (est: $5,000-$7,000); a Civil War album of albumen cartes de visite portraits of President Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Union Generals and Others (est: $2,000-$4,000); and a selection of Royal Copenhagen ‘Flora Danica’. The selection, split into seven lots with estimates between $1,000 and $9,000, includes coffee cups and saucers, plates, specialty dishes and trays, and a covered oval soup tureen.

A stunning selection of jewelry offers a Victorian tested 14-karat yellow-gold, silver-topped and diamond brooch (est: $3,000-$5,000) and an 18-karat white-gold, South Sea pearl and diamond four-piece ensemble (est: $3,000-$4,000). Asian works of art include a large Chinese apple-green and pale-lavender jadeite boulder of boys in a mountain village (est: $8,000-$12,000) and a Cambodian sandstone torso of Uma Khmer, circa 11th century (est: $10,000-$15,000).

Exhibition for the auction will be held September 16-19 at Weschler’s second floor gallery, located at 909 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. Exhibition hours and a complete illustrated catalogue are available at www.weschlers.com.