NEW BRAUNFELS, TX.- Exceeding all expectations, the sale of Korean Works of Art at Lark Mason Associates on the iGavel Auctions platform closed on April 26th with a sale total of $366,366 including buyers premium. Fifty lots of ceramics, paintings, furniture and metalwork, most of which emanated from a local Central Texas collector, whose eye for quality and rarity were evident in the strong and, in some instances, extended bidding from Asia, Europe, and the United States.

The auction saw fierce competition from dealers and collectors, alike. " iGavel's online platform met the needs perfectly for all of the international bidders, and many of the items purchased will be returning to Korea," says Lark Mason. "More than half of the items in the sale went into extended bidding, with the final prices rocketing past the estimates."

The biggest surprise of all came on the last day of this exciting sale. The final lot, a 19th century painting of a high-ranking civil servant, finely rendered with delicate details (Estimate: $700-$1,000) was scheduled to close at 12:30 pm on but fierce bidding pushed it to a record-breaking $81,250 for this kind of painting.

The second highest lot was by the artist Kim Hong-do, the most famous 18th/19th century painter in Korea (Estimate: $400-600). This small piece, depicting a figure on a leopard, achieved a final bid price of $66,875. Closing an hour earlier, and again with more than 25 minutes of extended bidding, was an impressive colorful pair of large Korean Dongja, snapped up by a collector for $57,500 (Estimate: $1,500-2,000), winning out over 32 bids.

Each of these lots saw a diverse group of bidders competing for what was truly a great collection. Several of the other highlights included an eight-panel screen, a Korean Buddhist painting, and three works on paper. All of these items went into extended bidding, with all achieving over $10,000 and several reaching over $20,000.