Two recent sales of Fine and Decorative Works of Art on the iGavel Auctions platform far exceeded estimates and delivered top results for the best items. The Lark Mason Associates sale that ended on February 12 included 157 lots, with a 70-percent sell-through, for a total of $194,723. With bids from Europe and the United States, the top lot—a rare European Turtleshell, Brass, and Pewter Inlay Domed Fitted Box, after a design by Jean Berain the Elder, circa 1680-1700—realized $58,750, nearly tripling its estimate of $15,000-20,000. The thorough documentation of the box completed by Lark Mason Associates for Endangered Species as required for export was a factor in the high price.

Other notable results included an 18-karat gold Tiffany & Co. 15-Piece Dressing Table Set, circa 1915, in an elegant, classically inspired design, which fetched $29,000; and a rare Picasso Ceramic Plate, Maduro, “Jacqueline au Chevalet,” which was snapped up for $28,750, driven by spirited bidding from European and American participants.

Ending on February 5 was a sale by Everard Associates of Savannah of items from Southern Estates and Various Owners, garnering a total of $131,000 with an 80% sell-through. Out of 240 sold lots, the top price went for a Bronze Figure of Cupid and Psyche by Eugène-Ernest Chrétien, fetching $7,500. Another highlight was an 18th-century American Walnut Corner Cupboard from Chelsea Plantation in Virginia. With numerous bidders competing, the piece brought $5,375 against an estimate of $700-1,000.

Amanda Everard remarked, “We were extremely pleased to see such strong participation in this sale, which had large numbers of decorative works of art and traditional furniture, with most of the bidders from local areas in proximity to our gallery, supplemented by a strong audience delivered through the iGavel platform.” 

Lark Mason, owner of the iGavel auction platform and his eponymous auction site, and Amanda Everard both are frequent specialists appearing on the PBS hit series Antiques Roadshow and are former officers with Sotheby’s in New York.