NEW BRAUNFELS, TX.- Just as COVID-19 started ramping up in March during Asia Week, Lark Mason decided to go against conventional wisdom and move forward with the first part of his online sale Asian works of art. The risk reward benefit for doing so resulted in record prices across the board. However, he postponed the second part of the sale– Important Chinese Jades and Works of Art from the Collection of Isidore Cohn, Jr, M.D. and Other Owners– to June.




Ending on July 8th, the 56 select items sold realized $602,738, out of a total of 106 lots offered. The top lot was an 18th century Chinese Dark Green Jade Covered Censer, with a remarkable provenance from The International Exhibition of Chinese Art, which was illustrated in The Royal Academy, London catalogue no. 2858, in 1935-36. With an estimate of $25,000-40,000, the censer sold to a European buyer for $150,001.

Other items fared equally well, including a 23-carat gold Liao Style Floriform Box, estimated at $8,000-120,000, which received numerous bids, and sold for $131,875. A small group of furniture was included in the sale, with the leading item, an 18th century Chinese Hardwood Recessed Leg Table, realizing $48,750 against an estimate of $5,000-10,000.

“The sale showed the continued resiliency of the market in Asian Works of Art, with items having realistic estimates finding numerous bidders and those with aggressive estimates with less interest,” says Lark Mason. “The market remains strong for the best items and we anticipate that sales will remain robust in spite of the weakness of some areas of the economy. People still desire items of value and beauty, and auctions will remain resilient in the face of unprecedented circumstances.”