Lark Mason

Asian Arts

Updated: 1.6.12

Lark E. Mason, Jr., is the author of numerous articles on Asian art, the translator of two major works on Chinese furniture, and the author of the acclaimed guide to the arts of Asia, Asian Art. He is the owner and founder of iGavel.com, an international fine-arts and antiques auction site with consignment centers located throughout the United States and abroad. He is a fine-arts agent with Timothy Sammons, Fine Art Agents, based in London and New York, and the consulting curator for the Margaret and Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Mason began working with antiques at the age of 10 in Atlanta, Georgia, buying and selling in local shows and auctions, eventually opening his own antiques shop. After completing his bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in business administration, he attended Sotheby's Works of Art Course in London. On completion in 1979, he joined Sotheby's in New York where his career spanned 24 years as a general appraiser, senior vice president in Chinese Art, and director of online auctions for Sothebys.com.

Mr. Mason is the translator of Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, by Wang Shi-Xiang, and Classic Chinese Furniture of the Qing Dynasty, by Tian Jiaqing. He is an internationally requested lecturer and author on the subject of Chinese furniture, and advisor to museums and collectors in the United States and abroad. He is active in historic preservation, serving as the vice president of the board of the Metropolitan Historic Structures Association in New York City. He also serves as an emeritus member of the board of visitors, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.