HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: A YUAN/MING DYNASTY CHINESE GILT BRONZE HEAD OF DAOIST IMMORTAL MAZU; A MING DYNASTY CHINESE BRONZE SEATED FIGURE OF BUDDHA; A 17th CENTURY CHINESE CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP WITH DAOIST IMMORTALS; A QIANLONG CHINESE FAMILLE ROSE BOWL; ANCIENT CHINESE TOMB POTTERY; AND 200 JAPANESE SWORDS

Lark Mason Associates’ online Fall 2013 auction of important Asian, Ancient & Ethnographic works of art will go live on iGavelAuctions.com on Tuesday, October 1 through Wednesday, October 15 as announced by Lark Mason, founder and president of the Harlem-based auction house, at 227 East 120th Street.  Over 600 lots drawn from a cross-section of periods and disciplines, from antiquities through the 20th century, will be offered.

Says Mr. Mason, “This is a very large and comprehensive sale with a diverse range of objects – from ancient Chinese tomb pottery to over 200 Japanese swords dating from the 16th to 20th centuries from a private Texas collector. The material is fresh to the market and the estimates are low, which enable Asian art collectors and enthusiasts to buy at accessible prices.”

Among the top highlights are:

* A Chinese Gilt Bronze Head of the Daoist Immortal Mazu, Yuan/Ming Dynasty 

This lot is a large gilt bronze head, remarkable for its size, early date, and refined features. The figure was most probably the Daoist immortal Mazu, a popular deity and guardian of the sea.  Mazu was a historic personage who lived in the Song dynasty. After her death, it was said that she would appear with a lantern or balls of red light to help guide ships in stormy weather. Worshipped by members of the navy, fisherman, merchants and diplomats, she is often depicted flanked by two generals who assist her, and in 1281 the emperor Kublai Khan honored Mazu with the title 'Imperial Consort.’ (Estimate: $25,000-35,000)

* A Chinese Bronze Seated Figure of Buddha, Ming Dynasty

Buddhism was said to have been introduced to China by traveling monks or missionaries through the silk road. The first widespread depictions of Buddha in China appear in the Tang dynasty. During the Song dynasty, Buddhist ideology was subsumed into Chinese culture and merged with the established Daoist ideology. This particular type of figure, typical during the Ming dynasty, is a uniquely Chinese depiction of the Buddha.   (Estimate: $15,000-20,000)

* A 17th Century Chinese Carved Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup with Daoist Immortals

Rhinoceros cups were popular gifts with the Chinese aristocracy in the 17th and 18th Centuries. These objects, often given given as gifts at celebrations, held special symbolism, and on this particular rhinoceros cup the eight Daoist immortals and the god of longevity, Shoulao, are carved in a line and are depicted offering birthday felicitations.  As well as wishing the recipient a long life, this cup probably was meant to draw parallels between the recipient of the cup and the immortals. (Estimate: $15,000-$30,000)

 *A Chinese Porcelain Famille Rose Bowl, Qianlong Mark and Period 

This bowl is decorated with pomegranate, peaches and lychee. In China all of these fruit are auspicious and symbolize either fertility or wealth and prosperity. Perhaps the bowl was a wedding gift that relayed the wish for prosperity and many heirs. The peach is often depicted on Chinese porcelains and symbolizes immortality, wealth and abundance. In feng shui it symbolizes love. The pomegranate symbolizes fertility because of the many seeds inside, each seed represents a wish for a son.  The lychee or lizhi is linguistically similar to lizi which means an interest in money and wealth or fertility. (Estimate: $15,000-$25,000)

*A Chinese Celadon Jade Carving of a Hound, Song/Ming Dynasty

Small jade carvings of animals form a distinct group of jades from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.  Often these jades were amulets that provided spiritual protection for the owner.  Song dynasty jades of this type are known for their naturalistic style, which can most certainly be seen in the details of this example.  (Estimate: $6,000-$9,000)

About Lark Mason Associates

Lark Mason Associates, the eponymous, Harlem-based auction house specializing in Asian, ethnographic, and ancient works of art, was founded by Lark Mason after many years as an expert at Sotheby’s New York.

Mason served as a General Appraiser from 1979 until 1985, and as a Senior Vice President and specialist in Chinese art with Sotheby’s Chinese Works of Art Department from 1985-2003.  From 2000-2003 he was a Director of Online Auctions for Sothebys.com, and served as a consulting curator at the Trammel and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas from 2003-2009.  He is an expert in the field of Chinese furniture, having responsibility for this area during his tenure at Sotheby’s. As a Chinese furniture specialist he has valued and advised many private collectors and institutions.

Lark Mason Associates regularly hosts auctions on the iGavel Auctions platform and has an established history of record sales of Chinese and other works of art.

Lark Mason Associates is located at 227 East 120th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue), New York, NY, 10035. Visit www.larkmasonassociates.com, or phone (212) 289-5524

About iGavel Auctions

When Lark Mason founded iGavel Inc., the online international network of independently owned regional auction salesrooms, specializing in the sale of fine and decorative arts, in 2003, his stellar reputation as a leading expert, appraiser and television personality on the PBS series The Antiques Roadshow, was already well-established within the art world.

With iGavel's large network of regional auction houses and dealers, there is always an abundant roster of items daily flowing onto the iGavel site from companies including: Abington Auctions, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York City; Elder's Fine Art & Antiques, Nokomis, FL.; Everard and Company, Savannah, GA.;  Litchfield County Auctions Inc., Litchfield, CT.; Lark Mason Associates, New York City; Nye and Company, Bloomfield, NJ; South Bay Auctions, East Moriches, NY; and Witherell’s, Sacramento, CA.

iGavel Auctions is located at 229 East 120th Street (between Second and Third Avenues), New York City. Visit www.igavelauctions.com, or phone 212-289-5588.