Lark Mason Associates’ online auction of Asian Works of Art concluded on April 18th with an impressive result totaling over $1,650,000 for 66 lots selling out of 84 offered. The sale was previewed in their New Braunfels, Texas and New York City showrooms during Asia Week New York and was open for bidding in March and April on the iGavelauctions platform.

Asia Week New York, which attracts a wide spectrum of bidders from around the world, had record results in sales topping over $420,000,000. This enthusiasm for Chinese art during Asia Week carried forward in the online auction offered by Lark Mason Associates, one of the auction house partners of Asia Week New York, which has long been associated with realizing top prices for Asian art at auction. Said Lark Mason, who just ended his two-year position as Chairman of Asia Week New York: “The Asian art market is robust, wide, and deep. Our results and the records set during Asia Week indicate not just significant strength in this market, but a new benchmark for Asian art.”

A fine and rare Large Huanghuali Recessed Leg Table, particularly notable because of the solid board top, blew past the presale estimate of $150,000-250,000 realizing $876,000. Bidding was strong from Asia and the table sold to a notable Chinese dealer. Large-size tables of Huanghuali rarely appear on the market and the results were not unexpected. Mason, a well-known authority on Chinese furniture remarked: “The strong price for the table was not a surprise. The market is sorting between the very best objects and those of lesser quality and the best items such as this table are extremely scarce and desirable and reaching astounding price levels.”

Other furniture excelled in the auction including a pair of Chinese Huanghuali Horseshoeback Armchairs, dating to the 17th century, that fetched $237,500 and an exquisite 17th century Chinese Huanghuali Low Table, Kangji, which realized $58,750. The sale had a very good selection of ancient Chinese bronze vessels and archaic jade ritual objects. The highlight of the archaic bronzes was a Chinese Archaic Bronze Cooking Vessel, Yan, Western Zhou Dynasty which went into extended bidding with interest from Asia, Europe, and the United States, finally selling after 44 bids to an Asian buyer. The group of Archaic Chinese Jade Ritual Objects was also highly sought after and realized a total of nearly $100,000 for the group. Critical to these results was the solid provenance of the objects and reputation of Lark Mason Associates.

About Lark Mason and iGavel Auctions

With locations in New Braunfels, Texas and New York City, Lark Mason Associates, the eponymous auction house that specializes in Asian, ethnographic, and ancient works of art, was founded by Lark Mason, after serving as an expert at Sotheby’s where he held the position of

General Appraiser, Senior Vice President and specialist in Chinese Art, and Director of Online Auctions for sothebys.com.

Mason was a Consulting Curator at the Trammel and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas from 2003-2009. He is a Professor at New York University and was Chairman of Asia Week New York in 2016 and 2017. He is Vice-President of the board of the Appraiser’s Association of America. Over his career, he has valued and advised many private collectors and institutions. 

Lark Mason Associates regularly hosts auctions on the iGavelauctions platform and holds the record price for the sale of any work of art in an online sale, achieved in 2014 with the sale of a painting for nearly $4.2m.

For more information, visit.www.larkmasonassociates.com or www.igavelauctions.com.