Auctions: A watercolor with connections to Phila. society

Thanks to its horse country location, the intersection of Providence and Goshen Roads in Willistown Township is not only picturesque, it is also rich in social, or at least socialite, history: the Radnor Races traffic jams there every May, the farms on three of its corners there bouncing from one family to another, including, years ago, the Wetherills, and the quaint blacksmith shop on the fourth.

So there is little doubt a 24-inch-by-39-inch watercolor of the crossroads done in 1975 by Peter Sculthorpe will attract considerable attention from area bidders when it goes on the block at Wiederseim Associates' sale Saturday at the Ludwig's Corner Fire Company in Glenmoore - even though the picture (labeled Land of Goshen on the back) has a presale price estimate of $5,000 to $7,000, according to the auction catalog at www.wiederseim.com.

The painting, along with another Sculthorpe, are among more than 500 lots of antique and decorative furniture and accessories, silver, and porcelains and china, including a historical blue collection (so-called because the pieces depict scenes of national or local history) to be offered beginning at 9 a.m. The furniture includes an English Regency mahogany hexagonal table with inlaid compass and a presale estimate of $2,000 to $3,000 and a Chippendale walnut tall case clock with a painted moon dial face signed "Thos. Norton, Phila. County" and a presale estimate of $7,000 to $9,000. It came from the Wentz family, owners from 1832 to 1921 of Hope Lodge in Fort Washington.

Among the two dozen lots of silver is an 82-piece sterling flatware service by Gorham in the "Cluny" pattern, made around 1880 with a presale estimate of $3,000 to $4,000. The most dramatic of the historic blue chinaware is a 19-inch-by-14-inch Staffordshire platter depicting "The landing of Lafayette at Castle Garden in New York, 16 August, 1824" (which explains why there are steamships in the harbor). It has a presale estimate of $1,000 to $1,500.

Previews: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to sale time Saturday at the sale site, 1325 Pottstown Pike (Route 100). For further information call 610-827-1910.

Books at Freeman's Beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday at the gallery at 1808 Chestnut St., Freeman's will offer more than 650 lots of rare books, manuscripts and posters.