When Lark Mason Associates offered what seemed to be a Chinese painted paper ten-fold screen dating from the Kangxi period with an estimate of $30, 000-50, 000, imagine the surprise and excitement that ensued when the final price reached a record-breaking $562, 500, twenty times more than the original price.
The subject, depicting a scene from Buddhist paradise, was exquisitely painted and mounted on a wood frame similar in style to other Chinese 18th century examples. The screen had been brought in by the owner to PBS Antiques Roadshow in Bismarck, North Dakota in 2006 in an effort to discover the age and value. The owner had no expectations of value but was curious if it was wallpaper affixed to a wood frame or something more. It had been the legacy of a distant relative and nothing much was known about it. For years the screen had been stored in a damp basement and the backing was damaged by moisture but the painted panels were in nearly untouched condition.
Says Lark Mason: “The exquisitely rendered figures among clouds and pavilions seemed typical of Chinese works from the Kangxi period and we expected the screen to realize in the range of $30, 000-50, 000.” According to Mason, Chinese screens of this period almost always have twelve panels and the backing material, composed of Chinese printed newsprint, seemed to confirm the Chinese origin. With this assumption, the staff of Lark Mason Associates watched in amazement as the few Chinese bidders quickly dropped out of the competition on the iGavel Auctions website and were replaced by a determined group of bidders from Korea.
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Early Korean paintings include a small number of very rare works painted in a Chinese style and employing Chinese subject matter. Bidding finally ended at $562, 500, and it sold to a notable Korean dealer. Over a period of several months the staff of Lark Mason Associates and the winning bidder from Korea arranged a meeting to pickup the screen from Lark Mason Associates offices in New Braunfels, Texas. Upon the return of the screen to Korea, the purchaser brought together a number of esteemed Korean painting experts who stood silently admiring a work that was proclaimed by them to be one of the finest examples of its type. The screen is now rightfully returned to its home after a sojourn of several generations in the United States.
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.
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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.
London’s Apollo Art Auctions to host March 12 and 15 sales of curated ancient and cultural art, antiquities, coins and Islamic artAsian Arts expert Lark E. Mason reflects upon his experience appraising an 18th-century Korean silk screen on ROADSHOW, and the big surprise that came after.
The 18th-century Korean silk screen is just one of ROADSHOW's many Extraordinary Finds that we will be revisiting in our special 500th Episode airing on Monday, November 4. Read Lark's story to learn more!
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Back in 2005, during ROADSHOW’s visit to Bismarck, North Dakota, Asian Arts appraiser Lark Mason made an incredible discovery: an extremely well-crafted 18th-century silk screen panel that was designed and decorated in traditional Chinese style.
Putting an estimated value of $30, 000 to $50, 000 on the screen, Mason sent a very happy guest, Deanna, home with a new perspective on her treasure. Several years later, Mason was contacted by Deanna to sell the screen and arranged for it to be auctioned off during the fall of 2017. Yet, this would be one auction Mason will never forget, as not only did the screen sell for much higher than his original ROADSHOW appraisal — but he made a significant new discovery about the origin of the screen as well.
Read the story below, in Lark's own words, about how he came to learn that the screen is not Chinese at all.
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During the 2005 ROADSHOW in Bismarck, North Dakota, my colleagues and I spent most of the day on the Asian Arts table seeing objects that were brought home from trips abroad or from returning veterans who toured during the Korean conflict of World War II. At the end of the day, a guest named Deanna came to our table with a folded-up silk screen that was in tatters. Yet when the eight panels were opened, what I saw was breathtaking. The screen was painted with colorful and vibrant figures in long robes in animated conversations, surrounded by a cloud-strewn sky populated with dragons and other fanciful creatures. The style of the screen was Chinese, as was the subject matter. The backing, which hung in shreds, exposed Chinese newspapers used as padding material. The eight panels suggested that the screen had at one time been reduced in size, as Chinese screens typically comprised 12 panels. This was a fairly common occurrence for screens brought to the West because the original size was just too big for display in most Western houses. Considering the damaged back and reduced size, that day in Bismarck we estimated the auction value of Deanna's screen at $30, 000 to $50, 000. Years passed, until one day I received a call from Deanna, who was looking for help selling the screen. She agreed to meet and hand off the screen at the upcoming ROADSHOW event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in June 2017. I brought the screen to our office in Texas, where we included it in an online sale of Asian art scheduled for that October. The screen was just as I remembered it — a tattered back and eight beautifully painted panels depicting the Buddhist vision of paradise. The subject matter, style of painting, and printed backing material all pointed to a Chinese origin, and that was how it was presented for the auction and throughout the viewing. At the auction, Chinese painting specialists examined the screen, commented, and concurred with our assessment and estimate. When the day of the sale arrived, Chinese participants started the bidding, yet dropped out around $50, 000. To our surprise, however, they were quickly replaced by Korean bidders, who came in at higher and higher bids. At first we were puzzled by the Korean interest, but assumed it was being purchased for a museum or temple. More Korean bidders emerged as the bidding topped $100, 000 and kept going. Ninety-nine bids later, the screen sold for $562, 500! When we spoke with the winning bidder, he explained that the screen was actually Korean — not Chinese — though it was produced in a Chinese style. Our excitement at seeing the screen in Bismarck with its tattered Chinese inner lining had sent us off in a direction that we didn’t later question — until the screen sold. In hindsight, it’s easy to see the Korean elements of the screen, but at the time, neither my fellow ROADSHOW experts nor others emerged to cast doubt on our catalog listing of a Chinese screen. If the Korean bidders had seen the screen in person prior to the auction, we surely would have had a better clue. But needless to say, we’re delighted in the outcome, particularly since Deanna found plenty of good uses for her windfall — and a once-lost treasure is now in Korean hands.
In celebration of our upcoming 500th Episode, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW will be revisiting this and several more of our other most extraordinary finds, speaking to the appraisers and guests who have helped to shape these remarkable stories. Don't miss more details about this and more exciting follow-up stories in a special hour of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, Extraordinary Finds, premiering November 4 at 8/7C on .
Lark E. Mason, a specialist in Asian arts, has been a featured ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraiser since 1997. He is president of iGavel.com, an online auction company based in New York City.
Update: Learn Why This Screen Is Actually Korean!
William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this The Gold Royal typewriter… @RoadshowAnd he had gotten it from his uncle. It didn't fit in our home anymore, and so we stored it, and quite regretfully, it got damaged, and I want to know if it's worth any value or if it's something to
Back in 2005, during ROADSHOW’s visit to Bismarck, North Dakota, Asian Arts appraiser Lark Mason made an incredible discovery: an extremely well-crafted 18th-century silk screen panel that was designed and decorated in traditional Chinese style.
Putting an estimated value of $30, 000 to $50, 000 on the screen, Mason sent a very happy guest, Deanna, home with a new perspective on her treasure. Several years later, Mason was contacted by Deanna to sell the screen and arranged for it to be auctioned off during the fall of 2017. Yet, this would be one auction Mason will never forget, as not only did the screen sell for much higher than his original ROADSHOW appraisal — but he made a significant new discovery about the origin of the screen as well.
Read the story below, in Lark's own words, about how he came to learn that the screen is not Chinese at all.
Antiques Roadshow' Headed To Raleigh
During the 2005 ROADSHOW in Bismarck, North Dakota, my colleagues and I spent most of the day on the Asian Arts table seeing objects that were brought home from trips abroad or from returning veterans who toured during the Korean conflict of World War II. At the end of the day, a guest named Deanna came to our table with a folded-up silk screen that was in tatters. Yet when the eight panels were opened, what I saw was breathtaking. The screen was painted with colorful and vibrant figures in long robes in animated conversations, surrounded by a cloud-strewn sky populated with dragons and other fanciful creatures. The style of the screen was Chinese, as was the subject matter. The backing, which hung in shreds, exposed Chinese newspapers used as padding material. The eight panels suggested that the screen had at one time been reduced in size, as Chinese screens typically comprised 12 panels. This was a fairly common occurrence for screens brought to the West because the original size was just too big for display in most Western houses. Considering the damaged back and reduced size, that day in Bismarck we estimated the auction value of Deanna's screen at $30, 000 to $50, 000. Years passed, until one day I received a call from Deanna, who was looking for help selling the screen. She agreed to meet and hand off the screen at the upcoming ROADSHOW event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in June 2017. I brought the screen to our office in Texas, where we included it in an online sale of Asian art scheduled for that October. The screen was just as I remembered it — a tattered back and eight beautifully painted panels depicting the Buddhist vision of paradise. The subject matter, style of painting, and printed backing material all pointed to a Chinese origin, and that was how it was presented for the auction and throughout the viewing. At the auction, Chinese painting specialists examined the screen, commented, and concurred with our assessment and estimate. When the day of the sale arrived, Chinese participants started the bidding, yet dropped out around $50, 000. To our surprise, however, they were quickly replaced by Korean bidders, who came in at higher and higher bids. At first we were puzzled by the Korean interest, but assumed it was being purchased for a museum or temple. More Korean bidders emerged as the bidding topped $100, 000 and kept going. Ninety-nine bids later, the screen sold for $562, 500! When we spoke with the winning bidder, he explained that the screen was actually Korean — not Chinese — though it was produced in a Chinese style. Our excitement at seeing the screen in Bismarck with its tattered Chinese inner lining had sent us off in a direction that we didn’t later question — until the screen sold. In hindsight, it’s easy to see the Korean elements of the screen, but at the time, neither my fellow ROADSHOW experts nor others emerged to cast doubt on our catalog listing of a Chinese screen. If the Korean bidders had seen the screen in person prior to the auction, we surely would have had a better clue. But needless to say, we’re delighted in the outcome, particularly since Deanna found plenty of good uses for her windfall — and a once-lost treasure is now in Korean hands.
In celebration of our upcoming 500th Episode, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW will be revisiting this and several more of our other most extraordinary finds, speaking to the appraisers and guests who have helped to shape these remarkable stories. Don't miss more details about this and more exciting follow-up stories in a special hour of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, Extraordinary Finds, premiering November 4 at 8/7C on .
Lark E. Mason, a specialist in Asian arts, has been a featured ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraiser since 1997. He is president of iGavel.com, an online auction company based in New York City.
Update: Learn Why This Screen Is Actually Korean!
William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this The Gold Royal typewriter… @RoadshowAnd he had gotten it from his uncle. It didn't fit in our home anymore, and so we stored it, and quite regretfully, it got damaged, and I want to know if it's worth any value or if it's something to
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