On Friday, February 3rd Weschler’s will hold their first Capital Collections Estate Auction in the Nation’s Capital.

The new auction format will now combine American & European furniture & decorations, Asian works of art, jewelry, coins & watches, fine art and 20th century decorative arts.  “This new format will allow the bidders interested in multiple categories of items to bid on them in one event, either onsite or online”, explains Tom Weschler.  With the change, the Capital Collections auctions will now be held on Fridays at 10:00am, with exhibitions beginning the Saturday prior to the auction.

Taking center stage at the February 3rd auction is a selection of political, presidential and White House memorabilia including a late 19th century Haviland & Co. parcel gilt and polychrome painted presidential game platter designed for the Rutherford B. Hayes service. The game platter is estimated to bring between $7,000-$10,000. The Hayes state dinner service is considered the most ambitious and costly of presidential orders. Its design was initiated though a chance meeting between Theodore R. Davis, an illustrator at Harper’s Weekly, and First Lady Lucy Hayes in 1879 at the Executive Mansion. The multi-piece service remains one of the strongest transmissions of a president’s ambition for the nation to the applied arts depicting a broad palette of American flora and fauna.

Highlighting the fine art offerings is a vibrant oil on canvas by British artist Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979) anticipated to bring $40,000-$60,000.  Shore Figure, dated 1965, is a rare example of his interest and desire to paint the human form. Particularly well-known for his landscape paintings, his canvases evoke the smells, colors and textures of his surroundings. Hitchen’s figurative paintings often use a landscape canvas that illustrate reclining nudes with expressive brush stroke and color. A beloved method was to stop short at the ankles encouraging the eye to move along the body and into the ‘sense of infinity’ which lies beyond.

The British have always had an enduring tradition of creating exquisitely crafted and classically styled silver. One example in particular is a George III epergne, which shows true style, status and strength, crafted by essential British silversmith, Orlando Jackson, London, 1772.  A foliate-form base supports seven reticulated baskets engraved with an armorial below the motto Non sibi sed patriae natus. The epergne is estimated to bring $12,000-$18,000.

In addition to the above mentioned highlights the auction will also showcase a 3.30 carat oval diamond ring set to fetch between $40,000-$60,000; an oil on canvas by notable American artist Wolf Kahn (b. 1927), Orange and Green ($6,000-$8,000); and a selection of Napoleon III ormolu-mounted furnishings with estimates ranging from $500-$6,000.

Weschler’s will be open for exhibition in their second floor gallery located at 909 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004 from January 28- February 2. You can find a complete illustrated catalogue for this auction and details on exhibition hours at www.weschlers.com. For live online bidding, Weschler’s is in partnership with Artfact, AuctionZip and Invaluable.